America’s Justice idol, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBF) has died at age 87 due to complications of metastatic pancreas cancer, the court announced.
Ginsburg was appointed in 1993 by President Bill Clinton and in recent years served as the most senior member of the court’s liberal wing, consistently delivering progressive votes on the most divisive social issues of the day, including abortion rights, same-sex marriage, voting rights, immigration, health care and affirmative action.
Ginsburg was well-known for the work she did before taking the bench, when she served as an advocate for the American Civil Liberties Union and became the architect of a legal strategy to bring cases to the courts that would ensure that the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection applied to gender.
At the Supreme Court, she was perhaps best known for the opinion she wrote in United State v. Virginia, a decision that held that the all-male admissions policy at the state funded Virginia Military Institute was unconstitutional for its ban on women applicants.
Her death is less than seven weeks before Election Day and it opens up a political fight over the future of the court.
Addressing the liberal justice’s death, Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, said Friday evening, “President Trump’s nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate.”
Ginsburg told her granddaughter she wanted her replacement to be appointed by the next president.
According to her daughter, Clara Spera, “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed,” she dictated to granddaughter Clara Spera days before her death.
President Donald Trump said Friday evening upon hearing about her death, “She led an amazing life. What else can you say?, She was an amazing woman whether you agree or not she was an amazing woman who led an amazing life.”
Ginsburg developed a rock star status and was dubbed the “Notorious R.B.G.” In speaking events across the country before liberal audiences, she was greeted with standing ovations as she spoke about her view of the law, her famed exercise routine and her often fiery dissents.
“Our Nation has lost a jurist of historic stature,” said Chief Justice John Roberts. “We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague. Today we mourn, but with confidence that future generations will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg as we knew her as a tireless and resolute champion of justice.”
Ginsburg, who died on the eve of the Jewish new year, was surrounded by her family at her home in Washington, DC, the court said. A private interment service will be held at Arlington National Cemetery.
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is was the second woman to serve on the Supreme Court.
Ginsburg had suffered from five bouts of cancer, most recently a recurrence in early 2020 when a biopsy revealed lesions on her liver. She had said that chemotherapy was yielding “positive results” and that she was able to maintain an active daily routine.
Tiny in stature, she could write opinions that roared disapproval when she thought the majority had gone astray.
The vacancy gives Trump the opportunity to further solidify the conservative majority on the court and fill the seat of a woman who broke through the glass ceiling at a time when few women attended law school with a different justice who could steer the court to the right on social issues.
The Hollywood has also paid homepage to her as so many stars tweet about her death while they adore what she has done for the justice system in America
Ginsburg, even after her fifth diagnosis of cancer, was working on a book with one of her former clerks, Amanda Tyler. It was based on her life on gender equality.
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