Story highlights Ginsburg's 1996 ruling allowed women into VMI

The school now has 1,700 cadets in its student body, which includes about 194 women

Lexington, Virginia (CNN) Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg made a poignant visit to the Virginia Military Institute on Wednesday, her first trip to the state-funded school she profoundly changed some 20 years ago by striking down its all-male admissions policy.

In a talk before the school's cadets, Ginsburg said she knew her opinion, which opened the doors to women, "would make VMI a better place" and thought that those who were initially opposed would learn from their women classmates "how much good women could do for the institution."

Ginsburg explained that the gist of the opinion was simple. "There are women who are ready and willing and able to undergo the tough training at VMI and they want that opportunity," she said.

The school now has 1,700 cadets in its student body, which includes about 194 women, according to Col. Stewart MacInnis, the director of communications for VMI.

Laura Tyler Chambers, a 2003 graduate, met with Ginsburg before the event and gave the 83-year-old justice her steel combat ring.

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