Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and X. Courtesy of Getty Images

By Camillo Barone March 15, 2024

The Dwight D. Opperman Foundation is planning to give its Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Leadership Award to, among others, Elon Musk and Rupert Murdoch.

Only one problem: Ginsburg’s family and associates object. 

The decision to include Musk and Murdoch among this year’s honorees has stirred allegations that the foundation is veering away from the principles Ginsburg championed throughout her career. The award was first given in 2020; previous honorees include Barbra Streisand and the late Queen Elizabeth II.

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Musk — CEO of Tesla and SpaceX and owner of the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter — and Murdoch, the conservative media mogul behind Fox News, were named as honorees alongside Martha Stewart, Sylvester Stallone and Michael Milken. 

The five honorees will be feted at an awards gala at the Library of Congress on April 13.

While the Opperman Foundation hailed the award’s recipients for their “extraordinary achievements,” voices close to Ginsburg argued that their inclusion undermines her legacy.

 In a statement, Ginsburg’s family expressed disappointment, emphasizing that the choices of honorees this year constitute an “affront” to her memory. 

“The Justice’s family wish to make clear that they do not support using their mother’s name to celebrate this year’s slate of awardees, and that the Justice’s family has no affiliation with and does not endorse this award,” the statement said.  

Revelations regarding the significant contributions to Republicans made by Julie Opperman, widow of Dwight D. Opperman and current chair of the foundation, and widow of the foundation’s namesake, have fueled concerns that the award has been politicized.

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