# Who first came up with "Notorious RBG" as a nickname for Ruth Bader Ginsberg?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-first-came-up-with-notorious-rbg-as-a-nickname-for-ruth-bader-ginsberg/737063>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 9, 2015, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-first-came-up-with-notorious-rbg-as-a-nickname-for-ruth-bader-ginsberg/737063 "2015-11-09T00:56:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\
**Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-first-came-up-with-notorious-rbg-as-a-nickname-for-ruth-bader-ginsberg/737063/1 "2015-11-09T00:56:58Z")

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I assume I know _where_ it came from (a play off the name of the rapper Notorious B.I.G.), but who started it circulating? Do we know? And when did it first see the light of day?

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**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\
**Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-first-came-up-with-notorious-rbg-as-a-nickname-for-ruth-bader-ginsberg/737063/2 "2015-11-09T01:02:08Z")

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According to this Slate article, 2013.

> [@](#):
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> The Ginsburg social media revolution came about in 2013, after she fired off yet more heated opinions in a Texas affirmative action case called Fisher v. University of Texas and in the landmark Shelby County v. Holder, which drove a stake through the heart of the Voting Rights Act. That’s when NYU law student Shana Knizhnik launched the Notorious R.B.G. Tumblr, likening the tiny jurist to the rapper Notorious B.I.G., and suddenly a Tumblr/T-shirt/bumper sticker revolution was born. Ginsburg, like Lara Croft and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, was a force to be reckoned with.

> **[How Did Gentle, Quiet Ruth Bader Ginsburg Become Notorious R.B.G.?](https://slate.com/human-interest/2015/03/notorious-r-b-g-history-the-origins-and-meaning-of-ruth-bader-ginsburgs-badass-internet-meme.html)**
>
> Happy 82nd Birthday Ruth Bader Ginsburg! She turned 82 on Sunday.

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**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\
**Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-first-came-up-with-notorious-rbg-as-a-nickname-for-ruth-bader-ginsberg/737063/3 "2015-11-09T01:02:25Z")

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According to [Slate](http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2015/03/notorious_r_b_g_history_the_origins_and_meaning_of_ruth_bader_ginsburg_s.html):

> [@](#):
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> [In 2013] NYU law student Shana Knizhnik launched the Notorious R.B.G. Tumblr, likening the tiny jurist to the rapper Notorious B.I.G., and suddenly a Tumblr/T-shirt/bumper sticker revolution was born.

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**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\
**Post date:** [November 9, 2015, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-first-came-up-with-notorious-rbg-as-a-nickname-for-ruth-bader-ginsberg/737063/4 "2015-11-09T01:22:08Z")

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I don’t think it hurt that the Notorious RBG Tumblr was immediately noticed by legal-industry snark blog Above the Law, who in turm promoted the nickname in July 2013 with a [meme contest](http://abovethelaw.com/2013/07/seeking-submissions-for-our-notorious-r-b-g-competition/).