Sydney McCall- Staff Writer
Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away from complications due to pancreatic cancer on September 18, at the age of 87.
Ginsburg was appointed in 1983 by President Bill Clinton and was the second woman to serve on the Supreme Court. RBG, as she was affectionately called by her supporters, routinely made progressive votes on topics such as same-sex marriage, abortion rights, voting rights, and affirmative action.
Her death leaves a vacant seat in the court only two months before the presidential election. A majority of republican senators have already said they want to fill the vacancy while Trump is still in office. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell confirmed moments after the death of Ginsburg that “President Trump’s nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the Senate.”
However, Ginsburg made her desire clear.
“My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed,” she said to her granddaughter, according to NPR.
It is indeterminate whether or not her wish will be granted. Trump is set to nominate a new seat in the incoming week, and he has enough republican senate votes to confirm his
decision.
Trump announced that his nominee will be a woman and has mentioned Amy Coney Barrett of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago and Barbara Lagoa of the Florida Supreme Court, according to the New York Times. Both are conservative right-wing women.
With Ginsburg’s death comes speculation about the possible overturning of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that guarantees a woman’s right to an abortion. This is terrifying to many women, especially younger women across the country.
“RBG’s death is a tragedy because she symbolized so much for women. I am sad how I cannot mourn her without being terrified for my future,” said Kennedy Sanders, a freshman business administration major at HU.
Regardless of one’s political beliefs, her life and work have been honored in the past week.
The Hampton Script 