RBG

Abstract

In RBG, a documentary about U.S. Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the activist Gloria Steinem describes Ginsburg as “the closest thing to a superhero I know.” This is how the directors Betsy West and Julie Cohen depict Ginsburg, a woman whose career has been defined by her efforts to eliminate sex discrimination from the law. RBG recounts Ginsburg's journey from Brooklyn, New York, to the Washington, D.C., beltway and highlights her transformation into a liberal icon, arguing that the diminutive no-nonsense justice-loving heroine, whose brain is her superpower, improved women's lives in the last quarter of the twentieth century by broadening their legal rights. Although the film omits one crucial aspect of Ginsburg's identity, it offers a powerful depiction of her essential role in reshaping American law. West and Cohen let Ginsburg speak for herself, interspersing clips from her 1993 confirmation hearings, Supreme Court oral arguments, and recent interviews to guide their narrative. The reporter Nina Totenberg and Judge Harry T. Edwards, among others, explain her professional accomplishments. Ginsburg's former clients Sharron Frontiero and Stephen Wiesenfeld highlight cases she argued. The Republican senator Orrin Hatch and the conservative lawyer Ted Olson offer mild criticisms. Finally, her children, one of her granddaughters, a few friends, and her trainer shed light on what Ginsburg is like outside of work. (Despite her serious disposition she's not above wearing a sweatshirt that identifies her as a “super diva.”)