Supreme Court nominee's portfolio contains a healthy share of bonds.

WASHINGTON -- Ruth Bader Ginsburg, President Clinton's nominee for a spot on the Supreme Court, is no stranger to investing in tax-exempt bonds, financial disclosure forms show.

Ginsburg and her husband, Martin, have a sizable stake in the tax-exempt market, according to Ginsburg's March 1 disclosure filing.

For example, she and her husband held between $250,001 and $500,000 of tax-exempt bonds issued by the District of Columbia in 1992. During that year, the Ginsburgs earned between $15,001 and $50,000 in interest on the bonds, her disclosure report states.

Ginsburg, who if confirmed will replace retired Justice Byron R. White, is a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Federal judges are required under the Ethics Reform Act of 1989 to disclose their finances, and those of their spouses, annually.

The forms used by judges do not require an exact accounting of the amounts invested. Instead, judges indicate whether their investments fall within broad ranges.

Ginsburg reported that during 1992 her husband held between $100,001 and $250,000 of bonds issued by the Puerto Rico Urban Renewal and Housing Corp., earning between $5,001 and $15,000 in interest on the debt.

She also reported that she and her husband jointly earned between $15,001 and $50,000 in interest from an investment valued at between $250,001 and $500,000 in the Pierpont Tax-Exempt Bond Fund.

The Ginsburgs also earned $1,000 or less from an investment valued at $15,000 or less in the Pierpont Tax-Exempt Money Market Fund.

In addition, the Ginsburgs earned between $5,001 and $15,000 in interest from U.S. Treasury note holdings valued at between $250,001 and $500,000. Ginsburg reported that the notes are due April 15, 1996.

Ginsburg also listed two joint checking accounts, one non-interest bearing account with Morgan Guaranty Trust Co. in New York, valued at between $15,001 and $50,000, and an interest-bearing account with Riggs National Bank in Washington that was valued at $15,000 or less. She reported 1992 interest earnings on the Riggs account of less than $1,000.

Ginsburg also listed a variety of real estate partnerships in which her husband holds an interest, and various retirement accounts for herself and her husband.

As a federal appeals court judge, Ginsburg earns $141,700 a year. She reported 1992 income for her husband, a tax attorney and law professor, of between $500,001 and $1 million.

Ginsburg's confirmation by the Senate is considered a near certainty even though she has shed little new light on her judicial philosophy during hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee this week.

Ginsburg did say, however, that she supports a high wall separating church and state, abortion rights, and an equal rights amendment to the Constitution to protect women from discrimination.

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