The notorious R.B.G. gift guide

YT&Twebzine
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg bounced back into action after heart surgery. Image: YTTwebzine.com
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg bounced back into action after heart surgery. Image: YTTwebzine.com

    Not that there's anything wrong with Taylor Swift making the short list for Time magazine's person of the year. But what about a certain pint-sized Supreme Court justice with an outsized work ethic?

     Consider that during the past year, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A) worked through the night on a dissent; B) unwittingly became a Web sensation, her image reproduced on T-shirts with the slogan, Notorious R.B.G.; and C) had a stent implanted in her heart and sprinted back to work five days later.
     Yes, in her 81st year of life, Ginsburg has become a Web celebrity, the legal profession's Betty White. 
     Put her name into the search bar for Amazon, Zazzle or Cafe Press and before you reach the G in Ginsburg, astounding possibilities pop up: the now-famous Notorious R.B.G. T-shirt,  a Ginsburg mug and pillows with photographs of the justice. There are Ginsburg coasters, Ginsburg throw pillows and even a T-shirt with the question: What would Ruth Bader Ginsburg do?
     Oh, right. And there have been serious, scholarly books about her, too.
     The R.B.G. movement transcends politics or judicial philosophy. She is admired for being a passionate, irrepressible, (some would say) butt-kicking octogenarian. If you know a Ginsburg admirer, the gift-giving season will be no problem. Here are five possibilities.

     5. The Notorious T-Ruth. Beyond the Notorious R.B.G. T-shirt, other choices abound. A gray T-shirt sports the words, "You can't spell truth without Ruth."  Another T-shirt features a cartoon of Ginsburg with sunglasses and captioned: Ruth Badass Ginsburg.

     4. Notorious R.B.G. Pajamas:  The diehard fan can ponder the justice's words and perhaps absorb judicial wisdom every night.

   

     3. The Minefield Quote (and tote): Ginsburg has been on the court since 1993, but her turn as an Internet star has everything to do with this year's dissent in the Hobby Lobby case. The majority of the court sided with business owners who objected to a requirement that they help pay the cost of some birth control methods for employees. In a much quoted dissent, Ginsburg famously wrote that the court had "ventured into a minefield..."
     Naturally, this quote made it into online publications (this one included), newspapers and magazines. But thanks to the Internet, in no time, consumers could purchase a T-shirt, tote bag, mug, mouse pad or pillow with the quote.


     2. I Dissent:  The Ginsburg fan will be content with "I Dissent" imprinted on a mug above a picture of the stern-looking justice. The words “I Dissent,” could someday be the title of a book about Ginsburg and maybe a movie (yep, definitely Meryl Streep).

    1. The Ginsburg-Clad Baby: Cafe Press offers baby bodysuits for the serious parent. Selections include the "minefield" quote, as well as "I (heart) Ruth Bader Ginsburg," and "Ruth Bader Ginsburg: She is fierce." Finally, your little one can wear an "I dissent" onesie. Of course, babies can't tell you they dissent. But they have other ways of letting you know.

     Related:

     Court backs businesses in birth control case