Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Remembers Richard Tucker

The Supreme Court Justice in 1953.

"A tribute to the late, great American tenor Richard Tucker was well under way at the Juilliard School on Wednesday when the panelists, led by soprano Renée Fleming, stopped for a moment. Making a late entrance to the stage was Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, whose flight had been delayed due to a rainstorm. 'I really have no expertise to be on this stage,' said the justice, once she had settled, 'but because of my age, I attended many performances.' When Ms. Fleming asked of her first memory of Tucker onstage, Ms. Ginsburg recalled the exact date and performance. It was Verdi's La forza del destino, at the old Metropolitan Opera House, located on Broadway between 39th and 40th streets, on March 4, 1960, which was also memorable because it was the night that another Met star, the baritone Leonard Warren, died. After that, Ms. Ginsburg saw many more Tucker performances. 'It's hard to think of a Verdi role I didn't see Richard Tucker in,' she said." [Source] Click here to also read the The New York Times coverage of the event.