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A New Look at RBG

In the years since her death, Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been remembered as a feminist icon and, more recently, a figure some blame for the Court's sharp rightward turn, the fall of Roe v Wade—even the decline of American democracy. In this episode of Can We Talk?, we take a new look at RBG’s legacy. Actor Michelle Azar, who brings Ginsburg to life in the one-woman show All Things Equal, talks about changing audience reactions in a moment of deep political and legal upheaval. Then, journalist and Supreme Court expert Dahlia Lithwick dissects the stories we tell about Ginsburg—from the “Notorious RBG” phenomenon to the backlash that followed her death—and explores what those narratives get right, and what they miss. Together, we dig into Ginsburg’s legal strategy, her critiques of Roe, and the enduring impact of her commitment to equality and civility.

Schedule and tickets for All Things Equal tour

Profile of RBG in JWA's Shalvi/Hyman Encyclopedia of Jewish Women

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Released March 31, 2026
  • Michelle Azar as Ruth Bader Ginsburg in All Things Equal. Credit: Thee Photo Ninja. 

  • Michelle Azar as Ruth Bader Ginsburg in All Things Equal. Credit: Bing Liem. 

  • Michelle Azar as Ruth Bader Ginsburg in All Things Equal. Photo courtesy of Bay Street Theater. 

  • Michelle Azar Headshot

  • Dahlia Lithwick. Credit: Nils Folke Anderson. 

  • Portrait of then U.S. Court of Appeals Judge, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 1981. Via Wikimedia Commons. 

  • Ruth Bader Ginsburg and President Bill Clinton at the announcement of Ginsburg’s nomination for Associate Justice of the Supreme Court at the White House, June 14, 1993. Photograph by Sharon Farmer. From the National Archives and Records Administration.

  • United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg is pictured here in 2004.
    Courtesy of the Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States.
  • Vigil for Ruth Bader Ginsburg outside the Supreme Court building, September 2020. Courtesy © Lloyd Wolf.

  • Photo of a picture of RBG at the vigil for Ruth Bader Ginsburg, September 2020. Courtesy © Lloyd Wolf.

  • Michelle Azar as RBG in 'All Things Equal'
  • Michelle Azar as RBG in 'All Things Equal'
  • Michelle Azar as RBG in 'All Things Equal'
  • Headshot of Michelle Azar. She is a light skinned woman with brown curly hair and is wearing a black scoop neck tank top.
  • Dahlia Lithwick Headshot
  • Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 1981
  • Ruth Bader Ginsburg speaking at a podium outdoors, with Bill Clinton standing behind her and an American flag in the background
  • Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 2004
  • Vigil for Ruth Bader Ginsburg outside the Supreme Court, September 2020 CROP
  • Photo of RBG at the Vigil for Ruth Bader Ginsburg, September 2020

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How to cite this page

Jewish Women's Archive. "A New Look at RBG." (Viewed on June 15, 2026) <https://qa.jwa.org/podcasts/canwetalk/new-look-rbg>.