Bedtime Biography: Notorious RBG summary

Joan Ruth Bader was born into a Jewish family in Brooklyn’s Flatbush neighborhood on March 15, 1933. It was a difficult time – an era when discrimination against Jews was common, even among ethnic minorities who’d also recently arrived in the United States. 

Still, Brooklyn was a fun place to grow up. Ruth was known during childhood by her nickname Kiki, and she loved to read. When Kiki was old enough, her mother would drop her off at the library once a week so she could pick out five books. Kiki would read in the library while her mother had her hair done, with the smell of Chinese food wafting up from the restaurant below. 

Both Marty and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, or RBG, as she was now known, were accepted into Harvard Law School. But before RBG could enroll, the couple had to spend two years at Fort Sills US Army base in Oklahoma while Marty taught at its artillery school.

In Oklahoma, RBG took the civil service exam in order to work for the government. One day, on a trip to the Social Security office, she mentioned in passing that she was pregnant. She didn’t realize it, but being pregnant meant that she was immediately dropped to the lowest ranking position in the government – and she was forbidden from attending any job training that might’ve resulted in a promotion.

In 1980, President Jimmy Carter nominated RBG to the United States Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit. During her time as a judge there, RBG became widely known as a moderate who focused on finding compromises wherever possible. She found the work relatively boring. But the position was a prestigious one – it was the surest path to becoming a Supreme Court justice.

First, though, RBG would have to wait.

In 2012, Glamour magazine hosted its annual Women of the Year awards, and RBG was in attendance. As usual, each guest was given a gift bag containing all the things you might expect: cosmetics, creams, fashion accessories. They also contained an item of jewelry that would soon become iconic across America.

It wasn't a particularly luxurious piece – just a simple collar from Banana Republic made of glass beads on velvet – but RBG gave it a special meaning. When she had this necklace on, everyone knew what card she was about to pull. This was RBG’s designated dissent necklace. She wore it every time she was going to offer a dissenting opinion on the Supreme Court.

You’ve reached the end of this Bedtime Biography. Thank you for listening. Why not pause listening now so you can stay in a relaxed state? And if you’re off to bed now, I wish you a good night’s sleep.