U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died Sept. 18, was perhaps best known for fighting for gender equity. One such case, which ended up being settled out of court, before she served on the court had a long-lasting impact on women in business. In 1972, Ginsburg appealed a federal circuit court ruling, seeking to strike down a U.S. Air Force policy that subjected pregnant officers to an automatic discharge. The case was on behalf of a career officer who was declared unfit for service because of her pregnancy, the Wall Street Journal reported. 

“It’s an early statement of her understanding of equal citizenship under the U.S. Constitution that she dedicated her life to vindicating,” Yale Law School professor Reva Siegel, who has written extensively about the case, told the Wall Street Journal. The case was one of many in her fight to give women equal protection under law. 

For many, Ginsburg’s death was the loss of a hero, an icon and a champion. 

Melinda Ojermark, a recently retired global health expert in Washington, went to the Supreme Court building the day after her death to pay her respects.

“She was a role model for women, but more important, also men have taken note and learned from her life and leadership,” Ojermark told USA Today. “This morning, as I watched people paying their respect, there were many men among those. She was a leader of all humanity, not just women.”

Since her death, a piece of advice she had for the workplace has been circulating: “When a thoughtless or unkind word is spoken, best tune out. Reacting in anger or annoyance will not advance one’s ability to persuade.” The context around her thoughts is some of the best career advice for anyone, one Forbes columnist wrote. 

“Being able to tune out the thoughtless words you’re guaranteed to hear isn’t just important to keep yourself psychologically healthy,” Mark Murphy wrote in the column. “It’s also a necessary ingredient for resilience, one’s ability to bounce back quickly from failure, adversity, stress, etc. If you can keep yourself from perseverating on unkind words hurled in your direction, you’re far more likely to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and go right back to what you were doing.”

The path to filling the seat has already become political. The new justice could have wide-ranging effects – many that could affect corporate law and workforce issues. The New York Times looked at what may change with business law if a conservative justice fills Ginsburg’s seat – including laws about immigration, the Affordable Care Act, Copyright and more.