Head-to-head: Honor the final wish of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Head-to-head%3A+Honor+the+final+wish+of+Ruth+Bader+Ginsburg

Ruth Bader Ginsburg served as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States for 27 years. She died on Sept. 18 of this year, at 87 years old, due to complications of pancreatic cancer.

Across the country, those who benefited from all she contributed while she held her position were heartbroken.

The nation is scared because a Trump nominee filling the seat of the revered RBG will have the potential and the power to overturn not only the Roe v. Wade decision but also many of the stances that RBG fought for.

RBG was one of the country’s biggest advocates for gender equality, a path which arose from her own experiences with gender discrimination, while at law school and several of her jobs.

She argued six landmark cases on gender equality before the SCOTUS. She fought for gender equality in the workplace. She fought against discrimination on the basis of pregnancy. She fought for women’s rights to join the military.

What I want to point out is that Donald Trump may not be president for the next four years. He may only be president for the next four months. Not to sound morbid, but I have a feeling Trump was a little ecstatic over the thought of being able to appoint his very own far-right Supreme Court Justice.

SCOTUS justices serve life terms. I don’t want someone who Trump appoints to be on the Court for that long. The thought is honestly a little scary. Justices are rarely chosen in election years, and appointing his current nominee would mean the SCOTUS will have a 6-3 conservative majority. He is scrambling.

He is trying to confirm Amy Coney Barrett before election day, someone who has significantly opposing viewpoints from RBG. I am not here to call her the enemy or to sling hatred at her. I wish no ill-will towards her. She is a Catholic woman, as I am. Her faith should not be the sole reason people are against her appointment to the Court, considering religion should not even play into a judge’s role.

The fact that most of the justices will be conservative is what Democrats fear. So much is at stake, such as healthcare, gun laws, religious freedom, LGBTQ rights, etc.

There is honestly so much about politics that I do not understand, especially why it takes up so much of our lives. It is tiring. I feel like I’m rambling.

RBG fervently wished that her seat would not be filled before a new president is elected. She served the longest tenure out of all four women who have served on the Supreme Court.

In 2016, Justice Antonin Scalia died about nine months before the election. President Barack Obama made a nomination, but the Republican-controlled Senate, led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, urged him to “let the American people decide” (brennancenter.org). They said Americans should have a voice. Well, the people are speaking now: They are saying, “Honor her wish.”

I am not saying this election is the end-all be-all solution for these issues. I know we cannot stop the president from appointing someone in RBG’s place. All I am saying is: look at the big picture.

 

Read the other side of this Head-to-Head here.