What is Notorious R.B.G.?

Notorious R.B.G. is a Tumblr blog started in June 2013 that casts Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as a hip-hop-styled folk hero named for rapper The Notorious B.I.G[2].

What does Notorious R.B.G. mean?

The name plays on Brooklyn rapper The Notorious B.I.G., treating Ginsburg's fiercest dissents as legal equivalents of rap-battle takedowns[1].

How do you use Notorious R.B.G.?

The format typically pairs Ginsburg's face with a gold crown and rap-lyric quotes, and it powered merchandise from shirts and tote bags to a poseable action figure with removable jabot[5].

Is Notorious R.B.G. still popular?

The blog peaked between 2015 and 2018 around the biography, the RBG documentary, and the FCTRY action figure, and the imagery is still tied to Ginsburg's public legacy[6].

Notorious R.B.G.

Q: Where did Notorious R.B.G. come from?

NYU law student Shana Knizhnik built the blog after reading Ginsburg's dissent in Shelby County v. Holder, the 2013 ruling that gutted the Voting Rights Act[1].

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Published September 10, 2026

Notorious R.B.G. is a Tumblr blog launched in June 2013 by NYU law student Shana Knizhnik, framing Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as a hip-hop-styled folk hero named for rapper The Notorious B.I.G. Sparked by Ginsburg's Shelby County v. Holder dissent, it grew into a bestselling biography, a viral action figure, and an Oscar-nominated documentary.

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Overview

The visual language grafts hip-hop iconography onto an 80-year-old jurist: Ginsburg's face gets paired with a golden crown pulled from The Notorious B.I.G.'s aesthetic, and her dissents run alongside quotes lifted from rap lyrics3. Recurring motifs include her lace jabot collar and her strength-training sessions with trainer Bryant Johnson.

Merchandise arrived almost instantly. Tumblr user charlesdingusesquire produced the first Notorious R.B.G. T-shirt on the same day the blog launched, and Knizhnik later routed shirt proceeds to Planned Parenthood and the Advancement Project. The format eventually branched into tote bags, mugs, temporary tattoos, and a poseable Ginsburg action figure with a removable jabot5. Ginsburg herself embraced the tribute publicly, telling reporters she gives the shirts out as gifts2.

Origin & Background

Platform

Tumblr

Creator

Shana Knizhnik

Date

2013

Shana Knizhnik, then a second-year law student at NYU, launched the Notorious R.B.G. Tumblr in June 2013 after reading Ginsburg's dissent in Shelby County v. Holder, the 5-4 ruling that gutted a key section of the Voting Rights Act3. She named the blog after Brooklyn rapper The Notorious B.I.G., pairing legal writing with hip-hop swagger. The inaugural post quoted Ginsburg's Shelby dissent directly, framing the justice as a defender of voting rights against a hostile Court.

Notorious R.B.G.

Overview

Origin & Background

How It Spread

Frequently Asked Questions

References (6)