Celebrities such as former World No. 1 professional tennis player Billie Jean King took to Twitter after her death was announced.
"A Jewish teaching says those who die just before the Jewish new year are the ones God has held back until the last moment, because they were needed most and were the most righteous.
"We needed #RBG for so long, but together, we've got this now.
May she rest in power."
Many US politicians also expressed their condolences including Barack Obama, President Donald Trump, Joe Biden and Hilary and Bill Clinton.
Bill Clinton shared a photo of the pair on Twitter.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern also shared a message on social media yesterday acknowledging Ginsberg had died on Women's Suffrage Day in New Zealand.
Ginsburg spent her final years on the bench as the unquestioned leader of the court's liberal wing and became something of a rock star to her admirers.
Young women especially seemed to embrace the court's Jewish grandmother, affectionately calling her the Notorious RBG, for her defence of the rights of women and minorities, and the strength and resilience she displayed in the face of personal loss and health crises.
Those health issues included five bouts with cancer beginning in 1999, falls that resulted in broken ribs, insertion of a stent to clear a blocked artery and assorted other hospitalisations after she turned 75.
She resisted calls by liberals to retire during Barack Obama's presidency at a time when Democrats held the Senate and a replacement with similar views could have been confirmed.
Instead, President Donald Trump will almost certainly try to push Ginsburg's successor through the Republican-controlled Senate — and move the conservative court even more to the right.
- With AP
