By: Lea Salim
(https://www.npr.org/2020/09/18/100306972/justice-ruth-bader-ginsburg-champion-of-gender-equality-dies-at-87)
Who was the “Notorious RBG”?
Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a progressive feminist icon, a fierce advocate for gender equality, and a bulwark for protecting abortion rights amongst many more. The legendary United States Supreme Court Justice passed away the night of September 18 at 87 years of age in her home in Washington D.C., due to complications of pancreatic cancer. After an astounding and eventful career as a jurist, the Brooklyn-born lawyer was appointed to the United States Supreme Court by Bill Clinton in 1993, making her the second ever woman and first Jewish woman to sit on the high court.
American citizens and fans globally mourn the loss of the the force that was and will forever be Ruth Bader Ginsburg, having witnessed her surmount case after case in the battle for gender equality in the workplace and under all forms of legislation, from ensuring access to abortion by repeatedly upholding Roe vs. Wade, to allowing widowers to receive the same benefits as widows. However as much as the world must take the time to honour RBG, in the background looms the ever nearing uncertainty of the Presidential Election in November, and now a furious battle over a Supreme Court vacancy -- all in the midst of a pandemic that is inflaming an already deeply polarized nation.
What happens now that she has passed?
The US Supreme Court is the highest tribunal in the Nation for all cases arising under the American Constitution. Currently there are eight fixed positions for Associate Justices on the court, and the power to nominate the Justices lies solely with the US President, following appointments with the guidance of the US Senate.
It is safe to say that US President Donald J. Trump is eager to fill Ginsburg’s seat immediately, this being a further opportunity for the Republican Party to assume power in the form of representation in the highly influential court. Furthermore it is becoming increasingly apparent that the Trump Administration views this as a chance to regress and remove the progressive voice that was RBG from the court to replace it with a starkly contrasting conservative perspective. In terms of policy change and a general shifting of lenses, increasingly figures within the legislative sphere are now moving to evaluate and criticise Ginsburg’s trademark policy moves, leaving an ideological void that is entirely up for debate.
Meanwhile Democrats and other progressive politicians and voters are urging ardently for the Congress to delay the appointment of the eighth Supreme Court Judge until after the 2021 inauguration. This was, after all, Ginsburg’s last request, as a statement put out by her granddaughter read that “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.” Several petitions are circulating the realms of social media, one initiative by ‘MoveOn Political Action’ having reached an impressive half million signatures in a single day. What changes will be made to the process are unclear still. Meanwhile, however, Trump has publicly announced that his final nominee will be 48-year-old Judge Amy Coney Barrett.
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