On the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Like everyone around the country, I was saddened to learn of the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. But since I learned of the news I’ve actually been trying to avoid reading more about it (Yes, I realize that this sounds pretty hypocritical of me considering I’m writing a blog post about it). I’m avoiding it because her death pretty much typifies everything that’s wrong with politics today, and it’s honestly something that just depresses me to see.

Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the legitimately personal reasons that her death has impacted so many people around the country. She’s the longest-serving female justice in the history of the court. Her fiery spirit, exemplified in the fact that she kept up with an intense workout regimen even late in life, was something that everyone could look up to. She had a deep friendship with fellow Justice Antonin Scalia, a bridging of the partisan divide that seems completely foreign these days. And her fight for women’s rights was especially important to see from someone on the nation’s highest court. To say that her legacy is one that deserves appreciation is an understatement.

But everyone knows why her death is hitting so many people hard. It’s because somebody has to replace her on the court. Within seconds of her death, I’m sure many Democrats’ first reaction was, “Oh fuck. Trump better not replace her.” There’s a reason why ActBlue saw a record amount of donations tonight. And I’m just as sure that many Republicans’ first reaction was, “Great. Trump gets to replace her.” This isn’t a respectful amount of time to mourn a person’s death, especially someone with the stature of Justice Ginsburg. But it’s just how things are.

The big question now is whether or not the Republican-led Senate will vote to confirm Ginsburg’s replacement on the court, either before election day or before inauguration day. Of course, this would look pretty damn hypocritical considering they refused to vote on President Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland in 2016, following Scalia’s death.

As I was writing this, I actually found a reason for optimism. If the Senate doesn’t try to replace her before a President-Elect Biden could take office, then I actually think it could help restore just a little bit of normalcy in a year that has felt so abnormal. It would be nice to have a positive sign to come out of this. That maybe just maybe, the partisanship might subside for just this one instance.

Of course, they might still try and replace her anyway, in which case my optimism might be replaced by an even deeper sorrow, that a small part of Ginsburg’s legacy might be that her replacement was the personification of everything that’s wrong with how people are selected to the court these days.

For what it’s worth, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has announced his intention to have a floor vote on President Trump’s nominee. Though at this point it’s not clear if some Republicans might break with McConnell and vote against that nominee, in order to stick with the precedent they set in 2016. Sen. Lindsey Graham said that year that in this exact situation, he’d want to wait until after the next election. And it’s important to know that he’s the chairman of the Judiciary Committee now.

I’m kind of just rambling at this point, but let me just put it this way. It’s sad that it’s come to this. She deserves better.