Commentaries, Editorials, And Analysis On The Death Of US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Richard Wolf, USA Today: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg dies, setting up nomination fight

WASHINGTON – Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died Friday evening, giving President Donald Trump and Senate Republicans a rare opportunity to solidify conservative control of the court, perhaps for decades to come.

Ginsburg, 87 and in failing health, had overcome four bouts with pancreatic, lung and colon cancer dating back to 1999 but apparently could not beat the most recent spread to her liver. She had announced her latest recurrence in July, again vowing to stay on the court "as long as I can do the job full steam."

The diminutive New York native leaves behind an enormous influence on the law as the nation’s preeminent litigator for women’s rights, a federal appeals court judge, a Supreme Court justice for 27 years and, most recently, as the leader of the high court’s liberal bloc, where she served as a bulwark against an increasingly conservative majority.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: For progressives she was always the dependable vote on the Supreme Court. Her passing away is a huge loss for them. What is going to happen next is easy to predict. President Trump is going to do what President Obama tried to do 4 years ago, and what Democrat Presidential candidate Joe Biden would do today if he was President .... put forward his nomination to replace the vacancy in the Supreme Court. It is here that the situation gets interesting. The Republicans have a slim majority in the US Senate. In a normal situation it would not be an issue to accept the nomination, have hearings, and then have a vote. But we are not living in normal times. A few Republican senators openly despise President Trump, and they may take it upon themselves to deny President Trump the opportunity to have his nominee put forward. Alaska Senator Murkowski has already voiced her opinion .... Alaska Senator Murkowski said Friday she would not vote for a justice ahead of election (Alaska Public Media). And then there are Senators like Mitt Romney, the only Republican who voted for President Trump's impeachment thereby signalling to everyone that he sees the President as illegitimate. I do not see him supporting President Trump on this issue. There are also Republican senators who are in tight races who may see this as an opportunity to distance themselves from President Trump thinking it would benefit them electorally .... Senator Susan Collins comes to my mind (but IMHO she would lose who base if she decides to go against President Trump). On the flip side Democrat Presidential candidate Joe Biden will be forced to provide his list of Supreme Court nominations, something that he refused to do only two days ago .... Biden under pressure to unveil list of potential court picks (AP). And if not, President Trump will be hammering Joe Biden in the debates to provide one (if there is a debate). Bottom line. This is a battle that both sides cannot afford to lose, especially for Democrats who view the courts as a vital institution to implement their agenda and to show to their progressive that they are the political party that can forward their policies.  My prediction. After Covid-19, the economy, and riots, the next Supreme Court justice will be the fourth most important issue in the election. This nominee may even become the deciding Supreme Court vote in the 2020 election if it does go to the courts. This election is already one of the most polarized that I have ever seen .... the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg has made it even more so. So who will come out on top? This is an environment that President Trump thrives in. He is going to suck up all the media oxygen in the room, and everyone will be focused on him. This is also where we are going to see Democrat Presidential candidate Joe Biden's weaknesses. He does not appear to have the energy to run a full blown campaign, and he will need to if he wants to make sure that President Trump does not succeed in nominating and having his third Supreme Court Justice approved.

Commentaries, Editorials, And Analysis On The Death Of US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Could Justice Ginsburg's Seat Be Filled Before The Election? -- Susan Davis, NPR
Trump isn’t likely to shrink from Supreme Court fight in election year -- Michael Goodwin, NYPost
Ginsburg's death sets up contentious U.S. Senate fight over her replacement -- Richard Cowan, Reuters
The GOP senators who will decide on Ginsburg’s vacancy -- Washington Post
Can Mitch McConnell Be Stopped? -- NYT
Ginsburg death ignites fierce U.S. Senate battle -- and stirs Scalia's ghost -- Richard Cowan, Reuters
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Impact On The U.S. Legal System -- NPR
Make the stakes clear: Trump should nominate Ginsburg's replacement and press Biden for his pick -- Washington Examiner
What the Loss of Ruth Bader Ginsburg Means for the Supreme Court -- David Cohen, Rolling Stone
Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s biggest cases: Equal pay, Bush v. Gore and insider trading -- CNBC
Ruth Bader Ginsburg's most notable Supreme Court decisions and dissents -- CNN
Q&A: what does Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death mean for the supreme court? -- Tom McCarthy, The Guardian
Belated Ginsburg cancer disclosure renews focus on SCOTUS transparency -- Josh Gerstein, Politico