Also called the “D.C. Circuit” for short, this Circuit is one of 13 courts of appeal in the United States. Totenberg mentions this court several times in Dinners With Ruth because Ginsburg served as a judge on this court from 1980 until 1993, when she was confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice.

An affidavit is a written statement about a legal case. Just like verbal testimony in a courtroom, the writer of the affidavit swears under oath that their statement is true. Totenberg relays how Anita Hill was willing to discuss her sexual harassment allegations against Clarence Thomas with Totenberg as long as Totenberg could read her sworn affidavit. It was important to Hill for the Judiciary Committee to read her allegations in her own words, since FBI interviews at the time were not recorded and transcribed, but paraphrased by the interviewing agents, making misrepresentation more likely.

National Public Radio is a non-profit media organization that was founded in 1970 and offers news coverage and other programming. The radio broadcasts across the US and other content is available online through their website. Totenberg frequently mentions NPR in her work, as she has worked there as a journalist since 1975, becoming one of their best-known journalists.