Ruth Bader Ginsburg Dead: Bride Facing Backlash for Wedding Featuring Late Supreme Court Justice

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg officiated the wedding of a young couple on Aug. 30 — [...]

By Michael Hein

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg officiated the wedding of a young couple on Aug. 30 — almost three weeks before her tragic passing on Friday, Sept. 18. This weekend, many on social media recalled that event and cast blame on the bride and groom for Ginsburg's death. So far, the couple has not responded to these criticisms.

Barb Solish and Danny Kazin asked Ginsburg to officiate their wedding as a family friend, according to a report by The Daily Dot. Solish tweeted a photo of them at the altar with Ginsburg, writing at the time: "2020 has been rough, but yesterday was Supreme." Now, many Twitter users are sardonically asking whether this photo op was worth endangering the health of one of the most important leaders in the country in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

"How dare this couple risked her fragile health for a photo-op. Hope they are happy now," one person tweeted this weekend. Another added: "You did this. This is on you." Other tweets outright accuse the couple of "murdering RBG."

Even at the time when the photos were first published, Ginsburg's health was already a subject of interest. The judge was 87 years old, and had recently revealed that she was getting chemotherapy treatments for cancerous lesions on her liver. Ginsburg was a cancer survivor before that as well.

This was not lost on social media when Solish first published the photo. One person tweeted a warning: "People will come for you if anything happens to her." Solish has since made her Twitter account private.

Experts have identified conventional weddings as one of the most dangerous forms of gathering during the coronavirus pandemic, and viewers did not fail to note that Ginsburg, Solish and Kazin were not wearing masks in their photo. In cases like this, experts factor emotions into their estimates, noting that wedding guests are more likely to throw caution to the wind for a quick hug since they are happy and comfortable.

Other weddings this summer have led to massive outbreaks of COVID-19, often sparking moralizing coverage of the couple in question. For example, The Star Tribune reported on a "super spreader wedding" in Maine this month that may have single-handedly reversed the state's course of recovery. The wedding has now been linked to the deaths of people who did not even attend the ceremony.

Ginsburg reportedly died at home in Washington, D.C. on Friday, after decades of public service. Americans continue to mourn her around the country.

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