"The quality of the handsome cover of this book is a clue to the quality of this treatment of Justice Ginsburg's influence on American law. The focus is Ginsburg’s introduction of a feminist perspective on the way people understand the United States Constitution's provisions on equal protection. Gibson draws on theories of language to explain how Ginsburg, first as an advocate and then as a justice, showed Americans how to think differently about the meaning of sexual equality and protections from discrimination against women. The text is grounded in the old inequalities that kept women from the public sphere. It discusses cases such as Reed v. Reed with its requirement to justify sexual distinctions. Provocatively, it illuminates Ginsburg’s reframing of the abortion argument, beginning with Roe v. Wade, from privacy to equality. With more than a little enthusiasm for Ginsburg’s popularity as 'Notorious RBG,' the author incorporates popular culture into the world of constitutional law. She shows how the Supreme Court and the language by which Americans know the Constitution constitute American politics. And the bibliography is exceptional. Highly recommended."
—CHOICE
“A significant contribution to the rhetorical studies literature; the cultural and political value of Ruth Bader Ginsburg is considerable and there is a definite need for a careful, sustained analysis of her judicial rhetoric. Gibson provides just such an analysis, and her work is a powerful contribution to the ongoing conversations about the relationships between law, rhetoric and the broader political culture.”
—Trevor Parry-Giles, author of The Character of Justice: Rhetoric, Law, and Politics in the Supreme Court Confirmation Process and coauthor of The Prime-Time Presidency: The West Wing and U.S. Nationalism
