Help Name A Brooklyn Building After Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Speaking of remarkable women and the U.S. Supreme Court, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg might get a whole building named after her. On Thursday, which must be a frustrating day for RBG (for all of us, really), Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams announced a petition to convince Mayor Bill de Blasio to rename the Brooklyn Municipal Building—"an historic edifice in Downtown Brooklyn that houses a number of City offices," per the borough president's office—after everyone's favorite Brooklyn-born Justice. The honor would mark her 25th anniversary as an associate justice on the nation's highest bench, and truly, it seems the least de Blasio could do today.

Describing her life as a "quintessential New York story," Adams noted that "Ginsburg has become an icon, affectionately referred to as the 'Notorious RBG.'"

"In an era where popular culture puts performing artists and sports stars on a public pedestal, Ruth Bader Ginsburg has risen to incredible levels of iconic admiration and love," he continued. "Society often waits to recognize a lifetime of accomplishment until after that lifetime ends. In this case, we can honor the life and service of Ruth Bader Ginsburg during what we hope will be a long and active remaining life."

Yes, same.

A press release announcing the proposal explains that former Mayor David Dinkins got to have the Manhattan Municipal Building named after him, so why not RBG, arguably Flatbush's finest? Ginsburg graduated from New York public schools, then Cornell, and then Columbia Law School, at the top of her class no less. Despite her demonstrated aptitude, New York's law firms seemed to view her gender as a disqualifying factor, but Ginsburg being Ginsburg, she eventually went on to become Columbia's first tenured woman. She started the first women's rights-focused law journal in the country, and co-founded the ACLU's Women's Rights Project.

From there, Ginsburg rose first to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and ultimately, to the United States Supreme Court following her nomination by then-President Bill Clinton in 1993. During her time as a Justice, she has reliably stood as a bulwark against discrimination on the basis of gender and sexual orientation, and against efforts to chip away at Roe v. Wade. Now 85, she is currently the oldest member of SCOTUS, and quite possibly its best loved. Through a Supreme Court spokesperson, Ginsburg told the NY Times she felt "honored" to see her name proposed.

The petition notes that de Blasio need only issue an executive action to rename a public building. Personally, I think the Kings County Supreme Court might also be a nice choice, but I'm not here to look a gift horse in the mouth. If you would like to see RBG get her very own municipal building, do your bit here.

The City Hall press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the petition.

UPDATE: In a statement, a de Blasio spokesperson said, "There’s no question that Justice Ginsburg’s life and her legacy of public service epitomizes the very best of what makes New York great. We’ve received Borough President Adams’ letter and are reviewing his request."