Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Irin Carmon & Shana Knizhnik

Notorious RBG grew out of the viral Tumblr blog created by co-author Shana Knizhnik following Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s fiery dissent in Shelby County v. Holder (2013). The book pairs investigative journalism by Irin Carmon with pop-culture commentary to chronicle Ginsburg’s lifelong fight for gender equality, legal equal protection, and civil rights, framing her transformation into an unexpected Internet icon.

Carmon and Knizhnik blend rigorous archival research, original interviews, personal photographs, and annotated legal briefs with graphic design elements, internet memes, timeline infographics, and rare archival documents, making complex constitutional law accessible to a multi-generational audience.

The book details Ginsburg’s tenure directing the ACLU Women's Rights Project in the 1970s, where she engineered a step-by-step litigation strategy before the Supreme Court using the Equal Protection Clause. By representing both women and men affected by sex-based stereotypes, she systematically dismantled institutional sex discrimination before joining the high court in 1993.

The book is widely used in high school and university courses covering gender studies, American government, civil rights history, and legal literacy, serving as an entry point for students analyzing how judicial dissents shape future legislation and constitutional evolution.

Irin Carmon is a prominent journalist and senior correspondent reporting on gender, law, and politics, while Shana Knizhnik is a civil rights attorney and public defender. Their combined expertise in legal scholarship and investigative journalism provided the ideal foundation to capture both Ginsburg's legal genius and cultural legacy.

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