New York will honor the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg with a statue in Brooklyn, her birthplace, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Saturday afternoon.
Ginsburg, the second woman to serve on the US Supreme Court, died Friday at 87. The governor will appoint a commission to select an artist and oversee the choosing of a location.
“While the family of New York mourns Justice Ginsburg’s death, we remember proudly that she started her incredible journey right here in Brooklyn,” Cuomo said. “Her legacy will live on in the progress she created for our society, and this statue will serve as a physical reminder of her many contributions to the America we know today and as an inspiration for those who will continue to build on her immense body of work for generations to come.”
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said he was “crushed” by the loss, tweeting that Ginsburg was a “daughter of Brooklyn” and a “tenacious spirit who moved this country forward in fairness, equality and morality.”
Ginsburg was born in Brooklyn in 1933. Her family were members of the Conservative East Midwood Jewish Center.
Ginsburg was nicknamed the Notorious RBG, after slain rap star Notorious B.I.G., who was also from Brooklyn.
The nickname helped propel her status as something of a pop culture figure.