US Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg celebrated her 85th birthday Thursday, weeks before the release of a documentary honoring her legacy as a judicial icon.
Known affectionately as "The Notorious RBG," Ginsburg has over the years amassed a legion of fans responsible for crafting T-shirts and other gear bearing her wizened likeness, as well as making her an online phenomenon.
A progressive determined to stay on the bench until President Donald Trump leaves office -- thereby denying him the opportunity to further tilt the balance of the court in favor of conservatives -- she is seen as something of a legal and moral torch bearer.
During the 2016 presidential campaign, she lived her up to her reputation for candor when she called Trump a "faker" and noted he "really has an ego," comments she later said she regretted.
Ginsburg was also pioneer for women's emancipation in the 1970s, and since then has espoused progressive legal opinions on issues ranging from abortion to gay marriage.
Her tenure at the highest court in the land, where she was nominated in 1993 by president Bill Clinton, is legendary.
The trailer of the "RBG" documentary, set for release on May 4, shows the venerable justice dressed in gym clothes pumping iron and doing pushups.
Ginsburg apparently does 20 pushups three times a week, more than many Americans can claim.
The images of Ginsburg's private life -- including her upbringing, her husband's immense devotion for her and their shared love -- contrast with the discretion and austerity usually associated with the nine justices, ordinarily largely kept out of public view.
The New York native manages to secure huge crowds at any of her public appearances, no matter how dry the subject of the debate might be.
She can hardly take a step outside without legions of fans stopping her to take a selfie. Her severe appearance now adorns beach totes, pins, t-shirts, children's books and coffee cups.
Ginsburg has made it clear she has no plans to retire from the Supreme Court, where she can sit on the bench for life.
"As long as I can do the job full steam, I will be here," she said in January.
