Ruth Bader Ginsburg will be the subject of yet another project — but this time she’ll be joined by fellow trailblazing female Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. Variety confirms that a limited series about Day O’Connor and Bader Ginsburg, the respective first and second women to serve on the Court, is in development. (Fingers crossed it’s called “SDO & RBG”).
Hailing from Alyssa Milano’s Peace by Peace Productions and Denise Di Novi and Nina Tassler’s PatMa Productions, the project is being adapted from the Linda Hirschman biography “Sisters in Law,” which “tells the story of the groundbreaking judges, and how their careers have shaped the legal framework of modern feminism, including employment discrimination, abortion, affirmative action, sexual harassment, and many other issues.”
Milano, Di Novi, and Tassler are exec producing the series.
Day O’Connor was appointed to the Court by Ronald Reagan in 1981. A moderate conservative by today’s standards, she often voted as part of the Justices’ conservative bloc. Bush v. Gore, which ended the Florida recount during the 2000 election, affirmative action case Grutter v. Bollinger, and Webster v. Reproductive Health Services, which upheld state restrictions on second trimester abortions, are among Day’ O’Connor’s higher profile cases. She retired from the Supreme Court in early 2006.
Bader Ginsburg is one of the Court’s most historically feminist Justices. Appointed by Bill Clinton in 1993, she’s known for her eloquent dissents and for her dedication to gender equality. Her more famous cases include Bush v. Gore, Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, which ruled that corporations can be exempt from federal regulations in cases of religious freedom, the campaign finance case Citizens United v. FEC, and Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., which stipulates that a person cannot sue for pay discrimination if the incident in question occurred more than 180 days ago.
There are two films about Bader Ginsburg debuting this year. Julie Cohen and Betsy West’s doc “RBG” hits theaters this Friday, May 4. Felicity Jones-starrer “On the Basis of Sex” opens November 9. The latter — directed by Mimi Leder from a Black List script by Bader Ginsburg’s nephew Daniel Stiepleman — follows the Justice’s early law career.
“I’m thrilled to be bringing the story of these two amazing women and their relationship to screens,” said Milano, a #MeToo and #TimesUp supporter. “If there’s one thing that really stands out in the past year, it’s the importance of women supporting other women. Which is why it means so much to be working with PatMa, a company that truly values and nurtures female empowerment.”
“We deeply admire Alyssa’s political activism, and are in awe the impact she has made on so many of the feminist causes she supports,” stated Tassler. “Her values are aligned with the mission of our company, and we couldn’t be more excited to partner with her on this ambitious series.”
“The relationship between Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg is complex and rich; a rarity among women at this level of power,” explained Di Novi. “From opposite backgrounds and ideologies, they worked together and made an indelible mark on women’s history. We intend to explore how they rose from their early days as lawyers to their arrival at the Supreme Court, forging what would become one of the most powerful professional relationships in American history.”
It was recently announced that PatMa is developing a limited series about Israel’s first female prime minister, Golda Meir. The project is based on Francine Klagsbrun’s “Lioness: Golda Meir and the Nation of Israel.”
Up next for Milano is a project for Lifetime, “Alyssa Milano For Mayor,” which the “Charmed” alumna is developing, executive producing, and toplining. She’ll also appear in Netflix beauty pageant drama “Insatiable.”
