Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died yesterday. The cause of death was complications from metastatic cancer of the pancreas. She was 87.
People on the left are freaking out. President Donald Trump plans to nominate RGB’s replacement before the election on November 3. It will mean Trump will appoint three Supreme Court justices during his four years as president. That’s a lot of Supreme Court justices. In comparison, President Barack Obama only nominated two Supreme Court justices during his eight years in the White House.
If they even TRY to replace RBG we burn the entire fucking thing down.
— Reza Aslan (@rezaaslan) September 19, 2020
Obama wanted to nominate a third Supreme Court justice, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would not allow him to do so. McConnell declined to hold a hearing in the Senate to consider Obama’s nomination. The Senate has the power to accept or reject presidential appointees to the executive and judicial branches. McConnell claimed it was too close to the 2026 Presidental election to accept or approve a juror to the Supreme Court. How close was it? A little less than a year.
McConnell is now vowing Trump’s nominee will get a vote in the Senate. Sure. Is McConnell a raging hypocrite? Yes, but he’s a hypocrite who has the U.S. Constitution on his side. Plus, I’m pretty sure being a hypocrite is part of his and all other politician’s job description.
Once Trump’s nominee is confirmed in the Senate and sworn onto the Supreme Court, it will mean the so-called conservatives will have a 6-3 advantage.
Isn’t the standard retirement age 65?
I think it’s important to note that during Obama’s first two years in office, he enjoyed a Democrat majority in the House and the Senate. In 2008, the year Obama first took office, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was 75 years old. If she cared about keeping her seat on the Supreme Court liberal for years to come, she would have retired. Obama could have then nominated a young, bright-eyed liberal constitutional law expert to replace her. Keep in mind, the Constitution does not require a Supreme Court justice to have any prior experience. They don’t even have to be a lawyer.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg didn’t retire at the age of 75. Nearly all Americans want to retire at the age of 65, except the people who work in Washington D.C. Once they get to Washington DC and get a taste of power and admiration, they want to keep going and going and going. I think Ruth Bader Ginsburg became accustomed to the rockstar treatment from the progressive wing of the Democratic party. I believe she did not want to give up that love from strangers. Retiring would mean she was walking away from the rockstar treatment.
Anyone choosing to freak out right now should remember this fact.
What does Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have to say?
In times of trouble, I often turn to the wisdom of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Mitch McConnell: "This is a man who does not care about a dying woman's final wish." pic.twitter.com/rISUJRsa5D
— The Hill (@thehill) September 19, 2020
Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s very last dying wish was that her vacancy not be filed until the new president takes office? What if Trump wins a second term? Does that mean the vacancy remains open until that? How silly.
I’ve checked the U.S. Constitution. Nowhere does it say anything about the sanctity of dying wishes. If that’s how RGB thought, it confirms my opinion that she should have retired a long time ago.