Ruth Bader Ginsburg made her first public appearance since cancer surgery at a concert in her honor, where she was called ‘epic and notorious’

Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP

Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Monday made her first public appearance since her cancer surgery in December.
The Supreme Court Justice attended a performance of "Notorious RBG in Song" with high school students in Washington, D.C.
Ginsburg has been working from home as she recovers, and the court says there is no further sign of the cancer.
Ginsburg’s daughter-in-law created and performed the piece, and she called Ginsburg’s story "epic and notorious" — referencing a frequently-used nickname for Ginsburg.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg made her first public appearance on Monday night since her cancer treatment in December, at a concert celebrating her contribution to law.

Ginsburg, 85, attended a performance of "Notorious RBG in Song" at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C.

The show, created and performed by Ginsburg’s daughter-in-law, soprano Patrice Michaels, was presented for high school students by the National Constitution Center.

Ginsburg sat at the back of the event and her presence was not announced, with most people only seeing her as they left, The Washington Post reported.

When introducing the last song, Michaels said that it would "bring our show to a close, but not the epic and notorious story of RBG."

You can watch the performance here:

Ginsburg had surgery in New York in December to remove cancerous growths from her lung. A statement from the Supreme Court at the time said that there was no further evidence of the disease remaining in her body, and that no further treatments were planned.

But she missed arguments for the first time in her more than 25 years on the court in January as she recuperated. A court spokesperson said in January that Ginsburg was working from home as she recovered.

It was the third time Ginsburg underwent cancer surgery: she also had treatments in 1999 and 2009.

Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Ginsburg’s son, James, said before the concert that his mother walks a mile a day and meets her personal trainer twice a week, the AP reported.

The Notorious RBG

"Notorious" is a popular descriptor for Ginsburg, who is often referred to as "The Notorious RBG," a joking reference to rapper The Notorious BIG.

The nickname was started by a law student of Ginsburg’s who was happy with a dissenting opinion Ginsburg had on the court. It has even been used by the White House, under the Obama administration.

Barbara Alper/Getty Images

In 2017, Ginsburg addressed the nickname: "I think about how this ‘Notorious RBG’ was created. People ask me ‘don’t you feel uncomfortable with a name like The Notorious BIG?’ and why should I feel uncomfortable? We have a lot in common."

"First and foremost, we were both born and bred in Brooklyn, New York," she joked.

She also said that her student had decided to start the nickname on Tumblr because she was "angry" with a Supreme Court decision, and "then it came to her that anger is a useless emotion, it doesn’t win any friends, or make any changes." So instead of being angry, "she would do something positive."

Her student started the Tumblr, "and then it took off from there."

The 75-minute long "Notorious RBG in Song" "illuminates key aspects of Justice Ginsburg’s personal and professional life through song settings of letters, remembrances, conversations, and court opinions, and conveys the important relationship between the Supreme Court and the Constitution," according to the National Constitution Center.

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Source: Business Insider