Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away on Friday after complications from metastatic pancreatic cancer. Ginsburg was only the second woman to be appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States, devoting her life to fighting for justice. She harnessed her personal experiences with discrimination on the basis of sex to fuel her passion for gender equality. She showed that this form of prejudice was also harmful to men and turned the 14th Amendment, the Equal Protection Clause, into an instrument of empowerment for women.
Ginsberg was born in Brooklyn to Jewish parents. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and graduated first in her class from Columbia Law School. In 1980, she was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and became a member of the U.S. Supreme Court under the Clinton Administration in 1993. Ginsburg lived a long and fulfilling 87 years, dying on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
According to her granddaughter, Clara Spera, Ginsburg said, “most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed,” as her final message to the world. While Democratic nominee Joe Biden, hope to honor this hero’s last words, the Trump Administration has other plans. President Donald Trump has since said that he will nominate a new justice “without delay,” which could be as early as next week. And Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R) has vowed to hold a vote for Trump’s nominee, despite arguing in 2016 that the Senate Republicans would not consider a nomination for a new justice during an election year. It remains to be seen who Trump will nominate and how fast the Republican party can act.
