The Notorious RBG

written by ERICA DICK. September 24th, 2020

If you are on any form of social media, you are no stranger to the news of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s passing. The second woman to ever sit on the Supreme Court, Justice Ginsburg passed numerous laws that allowed women to have financial and legal autonomy over themselves making her both a historical and feminist icon. However, despite her tragic passing and incredible legacy, President Trump has tried to usher in a speedy replacement of her position. 

In a staunch effort to remain unbiased, I’ll try to explain his reasoning with as neutral an explanation as possible… but no promises. Since Supreme Court justices are appointed for a lifetime, it’s a somewhat rare occasion for a president to get to appoint a justice. Justices are technically bipartisan but still tend to vote for laws depending on their political leaning – conservative or liberal. Therefore, when it’s time for a justice to be replaced, the incumbent president wants to elect a justice that aligns with their party’s values. 

However, when we’re so close to an election, all bets are off. Even Republican senators have gone on the record saying that within months of a new election, a new justice shouldn’t be chosen until the people elect a new president. This is to ensure that if the people change their minds on who they want in office, ie. elect a new president, the new justice is in line with what the majority wants. 

But Trump is trying to rush the process so that the Republican Party can get a conservative justice. Two Republican senators, Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), have fought Trump’s unconstitutional efforts to replace the justice before the election. But in order for his nominations to be declined, two more Republican senators need to oppose it since the Senate has a Republican majority (53 – 47). No others have yet spoken out, but there has been controversy since Senator Mitt Romney agreed with the nomination, although he voted to impeach Trump and has worked in the past to separate himself from Trump’s agenda. 

It’s not yet determined what will happen. But definitely stay updated, because the outcome will absolutely leave a mark on the current American political landscape as we know it.