Brooklyn Calls On De Blasio To Name Borough Hall For RBG

DOWNTOWN, BROOKLYN — A poster-sized 86th birthday card for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg may be on its way to Washington D.C., but perhaps the ultimate recipient of her birthday celebration in Brooklyn this week is across the bridge at City Hall.

Brooklynites, Borough President Eric Adams and a group of female judges gathered outside Brooklyn Borough Hall on Friday morning to not only wish the Supreme Court justice a happy birthday, but to call on Mayor Bill de Blasio to rename the Brooklyn Municipal Building in her honor.

"We must get Ruth Bader Ginsburg's name erected on this building," said Judge Connie Mallafre Melendez, the first Cuban-American female elected as a judge in New York. "I am a first as she was...I know she opened doors for women and made my election possible."

The #RallyforRuth, complete with a birthday cake with Ginsburg's face and a birthday card signing, was the latest in Adams' efforts to get the municipal building named after the justice, who grew up in Brooklyn. A petition to do so has already gained more than 60,000 signatures.

Adams said that it seems the only thing necessary to rename the building would be an executive action by the Office of the Mayor, similar to the action that renamed the Manhattan Municipal Building in honor of former Mayor David Dinkins.

"We want to send a strong message out to the mayor — let's name this building after Justice Ginsburg," he said. "It is time to do so right here in the heart of Brooklyn."

The elected officials were joined Friday by Brooklynites who called Ginsburg " a bright light for women" and an inspiration for the borough.

Ginsburg, who at the time was only the second woman to sit on the highest court, recently celebrated 25 years on the U.S. Supreme Court. She was raised by Jewish immigrants in Flatbush.

Her legacy in the borough was still apparent among the party's attendees, including the YWCA Brooklyn, Brooklyn Historical Society and the Brooklyn Music School, where Ginsburg played once played cello in the youth orchestra.

Naming the building after her would honor Ginsburg's place in American history, but also could be an inspiration to current students at the school, which is in its 110th year.

"(She is someone) who would be a really big beacon for our students, who are potential Supreme Court judges playing cello in our orchestra," Partow said.