By Colleen O’Connor
Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, dictated a dying wish to her granddaughter. “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.”
That was not to be, but now voters can grant that wish. Ginsburg intended to retire in 2016 and allow what she assumed would be the first female President to name her replacement.
Instead, there is a monumental loss; that of Justice Ginsburg herself.
If you were ever privileged enough to hear RBG speak, you witnessed, felt, and understood the strength of her intellect; the power of her convictions; and the drive that propelled her to iconic stature in jurisprudence.
She knew the unfairness firsthand. At Harvard law, she was only one of 9 women in a class of 500. Graduated at top of her class, but no law firm in the City of New York would hire her.
She chose another route, working on the Women’s Rights’ Project; arguing six land mark cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and winning 5 of them.
Then became only the second woman ever appointed the highest bench, with a near miraculous Senate vote, 96-3.
Any woman practicing in the noble professions in government, private practice, or ad hoc, owes RBG. She often reminded her audiences, that she stood on the shoulders of countless others before her. And devoted herself to lifting others behind her.
This is rightfully a time of grief and mourning, but it can also should be time of reflection, resolve, and resolution.
RGB’s seat is empty, but not her legacy, her pithy dissents, her otherworldly status as a Justice, and as a fighter for equal rights and basic fairness. However, the possible loss of her seat to a lesser, mere mortal of Trumpian approval, is near blasphemous.
Do not mourn RGB; resurrect her rulings; her dissents; her life force in all she has recorded and save her seat. The vacancy has already unleashed a “Titanic” political struggle.
The best tribute to Ginsburg would be simple. Grant her wish. Save her seat for the next President to fill. A Fox News poll last week found that voters nationwide trusted Mr. Biden over Mr. Trump — by seven points — to nominate the next Supreme Court justice.
How? Simple.
Ask what would Trump would do. And do it. Stall. Insist on a burial commensurate with her stature. Ceremonials befitting her legendary accomplishments.
Confront the vulnerable Republican Senators up for re-election, with their taped hypocrisies. Name names. Shame them. (Collins, Maine; Graham, South Carolina; McSally, Arizona; Gardner, Colorado).
Volunteer in their opponents’ campaigns. Start a “Save RBG’s Seat PAC.” Contribute $5, $10, x millions of small donors. A formidable response.
Unleash the best thinkers and writers to promote the “Save RBG Seat” campaign. If necessary, shut down government by blocking the needed funding bill.
Should the Democrats win the November election trifecta (House, Senate, and White House control); they should cue up (in advance) all of the Trump Executive Orders and negate them asap.
And if the GOP Senate confirms a Trump Justice during the lame duck session, the Democrats should follow FDR’s lead and pack the court. The constitution does not require a 9 seat bench.
Then move on to unleashing all the powers of the Justice Department against the Trump’s tax dodges; his financial corruption; his co-conspirators; those criminally complicit; and re-visiting Justice Kavanaugh’s possible impeachment for his lies, under oath, during his confirmation process.
Add to that the cleanup of what debris remains from the last four years of chaos while providing economic help to the states and cities.
And as a final tribute to RBG, pass the Equal Rights Amendment that defines “people” to include women.
As thousands gathered outside the Supreme Court, holding a vigil for Ginsburg, singing Amazing Grace, or chanting the mourner’s Kaddish, the Jewish prayer for the dead, it is imperative to forward her memory and grant her dying wish.
Save her seat.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
I am devastated by this loss and trying to honor what should be a national day of mourning by avoiding the internet pundits and headbangers who give column time to people like Bitch McConnell and the next nomination list, before this exceptional woman’s body is even cold.
She championed so much women and other minorities have fought for in the last 50 yrs; right to choice, same-sex recognition, immigration, social justice.
50 yrs on, I am still bitter about the lack of ratification of ERA. Even my mother, a true blue Republican, fought hard for ERA. Were she still alive, in addition to likely giving up her “party allegiance”, I know she would be truly horrified by the party she supported way back in the Goldwater years.
I have nothing but expletives for our Senate. And I am heartbroken to find all of us- women, minorities, LGBT, environmentalists, people of other than Christian faith, and millions of others, on the brink of another 50 yrs of repression by conservative, bigoted, partisan white men.
May karma come around. In time.
And thank you, Colleen, for your timely post.
Why didn’t she retire under the previous administration and allow Obama to fill the seat? That I don’t understand.
She couldn’t live forever to help pay for the mistakes of others including her own mistake by not retiring when there was a chance Obama could have replaced her
Without being “judgey”, that’s a very good point and one I plan on exploring in a weekly zoom w/ some legal eagles. I don’t think it was ego that was driving her to remain at the bench, but I am receptive to any informed POVs. If I hear of some interesting theories on that, I’ll report back. Perhaps it was just her own mistake, perhaps there was a higher purpose- let’s see what crops up :-)
Two words: Merrick Garland. What a risky venture that would have been if Ginsberg had resigned early. What makes anyone think the Republicans would have allowed Obama to replace her? They would have come up with some “principle” – oh, can’t have an incumbent president nominate a Justice in an off-year. McConnell is dedicated only to power.
In the game of life you never let the opposition get the upper hand! Right now we are letting Trump get the upper hand. Are you going to sit on your ass and whine about it or are you going to stop him? Actions speak louder than words and now is the time for action! I got a plan. Are you in or what? Are you going to let Trump and the Republicans hustle you again? Get in and fight back or just continue on after all these years just being a mouthpiece with no power!
Each one of you have to make a choice to either let Trump and the Republicans get away with another con to get what they want with this Supreme Court pick issue or to stop Trump and the Republicans from conning America into letting them get away with another Supreme Court pick! Trump and the Republicans are going to do it unless we do something to stop them! I am trying to get Biden and the Democrats to help stop Trump and Congress by initiating impeachment hearings but so far they won’t! Can you believe that! What the heck are they waiting for?! Democrats in Congress got to step up to the plate and do something! Impeachment hearings are their ONLY way at the moment for Congress to stop Trump and the Republicans from conducting Supreme Court justice hearings. These Democrats in Congress got to do their job NOW!!!! Call, write, email all the Democrats in Congress and DEMAND that they start impeachment hearings NOW!!!! However I see in thye news that the Democrats in Congress are saying they can’t stop legislatively stop the Republicans from conducting hearings for a new justice in the Senate. So it is up to us the people to step in create fairness where there is none with a ‘March to Guarantee Ruth’s Wish’! But sadly seeing that Biden and the Democrats don’t want to responed in any way to help get this LEGAL AND PEACEFUL million tourist a day march on Washington D.C. going I have to ask all of you to join in and we will do this daily 24/7 occupation of the Washington D.C. ourselves! Bring enough food and water! Set up music and food and toilet/shower sleep vehicles in many areas. Get donations, Go Fund Me campaigns and more to support all this. Make it all free to help get the tourist to come to Washington D.C. Stay a day, a week or weeks or however long it takes to make Trump and the Republicans agree to let the winner of the next presidentual election pick the replacement for Ruth. Rent rooms where people can clean up and sleep. Bring wistles to alert each other of danger and Trump! Look for him at the White House 24/7 and if you see him give many toots on your wistle to let us all get a glance at our dictator Trump! You can yell Hi or whatever you want to say to him all day and night too! Seeing that Trump sleeps alone with twitter and Putin and never his wife or prostitutes anymore I’m sure he would love someone else to chat with! And as police have been saying with all these marches going on across the country us TOURIST who will be LEGALLY by the millions daily visiting Washington D.C. PEACEFULLY and OBEYING laws which means that us TOURIST won’t be harrassed by the police. We are allowed by law to visit any public area in America so Trump and his S.S. Troop leader Barr can’t stop us millions of tourist from visiting the White House and Congress to ask what the heck is going on with our country and the way Trump and the Republicans run it! So all of you pass the word across America that one by one till we reach millions WE THE PEOPLE will go to Washington D.C. as tourist to see the White House and Congress and if by chance we plug up your streets and sidewalks for many many miles around Washington D.C. we’ll just say what Trump and the Republicans say which is we are doing what we want and you can’t stop us! WE THE PEOPLE will do this all safely in these days of coronavirus! MOST of us will just go to Washington D.C. and just drive around taking in all the sites SAFELY in our cars the whole time which will add to our arcenal of weapons to be used to fight back. Thousands of you will just ride around and PARTY! Stop by the food, water, shower, medical aidand sleep spots that LEGALLY parked or roving vehicles that will assist you in ‘THE MARCH TO GUARANTEE RUTH”S WISH’! So you can join this march in a safe way without having to get out of your car! For those that venture into any area outside of their vehicles on foot for any reason will ALWAYS PRACTICE SAFE RULES OF BEHAVIOR AT ALL TIMES by staying in their group of people they are with and act like we are all moving in protective bubbles that uses distance for protection! ALL of us stay in our little bubble of friends and don’t get close to others and their bubble of friends. We have to do this march for Ruth for as long as it takes Trump and the Republicans to back off with highjacking Supreme Court Justices so let’s do this safely and get out of town thereafter without any medical problems or any other problems! WE THE PEOPLE will all wear mask and stay in our little bublle! But us tourist are going to be the checkmate pieces in the game of life and WE THE PEOPLE are going to checkmate Trump and the Republicans with a LEGAL tourist shutdown of Washington D.C. for hundreds of miles! Nobody is getting to work in Washington D.C. until Trump and the Republicans back off and let the winner of the presidential election on November 3rd pick the next Supreme Court judge! ARE YOU IN?!!!! Now if this million tourist idea doesn’t get off the ground then each of you set up GoFund Me campaigns and donations that will put the money towards paying to give free transportation, food, clothes, showers, haircuts and more to anybody, especially the homeless, to come to Washington D.C. and ask thousands of times to everyone at the White House and Congress just why is it that Republicans get to make up any rule or interpet any law so that they can do what they want! With tens of thousands of homeless people start arriving daily at the White House and Congress blocking up the whole system of functionalbility then maybe Congress will get the feeling of how it is to feel when someone messes up ypour life! We need to do something to stop Trump and the Republicans now. This is the ONLY plan that will stop Trump and the Republicans! Are you in? Will you join the movement to stop Trump and the Republicans from stealing Supreme Court nominations? Your future depends on you doing something! One thing Trump and the Republicans better be aware of and that is if they now want to make the new rules of the game of filling a vacancy on the Supreme Court so that whichever political party holds the majority in the Senate can they can hold up or allow confirmation of Supreme Court justices then they will forever regret it. If that is so then soon and for many years thereafter the Democrats will be in control of the Senate and when they do they too will not let any future Republican president appoint any Supreme Court judges and do a lot of other things that I’m sure the Republicans won’t like but that is the new way America is run! Are you happy Trump and Republicans that you have ended democracy and installed a whole new way that Congress and our government is run! In the end the Republican Party will be as powerful as the Green Party or the Nazi Party but the Republican Party will no longer have any political power of any kind! That’s what Trump and the Republicans are going to end up with So bring it on Trump and Republicans and let’s see how far you think you are getting ahead as you hang yourselves into perpetual political powerlessness! Trump and the Republicans may be trying to hit a homerun with this Supreme court pick but in the end it will cost them to lose the game! They may think they won the battle to get this nomination but in the end it will cost them the war! So how do Trump and the Republicans want to go from here? Do they want to throw democracy and themselves out the window or do they want to practice thru democracy and fairness and save their political party from becoming meaningless? Will you join the movement to stop Trump and the Republicans from stealing Supreme Court nominations? America is in a civil war. A war without guns and bullets but a war neverless! It’s a civil war between Republican extreme conservatism and everyone else. Your future and the future of minorities, poor, women, gays, Blacks, Browns, Yellows, and yes Whites too depend on you doing something to stop the conservatives from stacking the Supreme Court in their favor which will quarantee that consevatism will always be the law of the land because those judges with conservative views get to tell us what the law is according to their conservative point of view! Wake up and stop being screwed by these Republicans! Stop being wimps and not fighting back for your rights and justice! It’s not right to just complain! You must act to change! Play the political chess game and let’s go for checkmate with a move that will force Trump and the Republicans to back off! Let’s LEGALLY shut down Washington D.C.! Are you a wimp or what? Are you in? Read facebook.com/ron.mccune.3 for more info about Trump, politics, environmental issues, cause of global warming and how to end it, gun control, world peace and much more.