Saturday, September 19, 2020

Hold Them to Their Word

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 1933-2020


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It has been 80 years since a Supreme Court vacancy was nominated and confirmed in an election year. There is a long tradition that you don’t do this in an election year.

– Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas (2016)


If an opening comes in the last year of President Trump’s term, and the primary process has started, we’ll wait to the next election.

– Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. (2018)


I don’t think we should be moving on a nominee in the last year of this president’s term - I would say that if it was a Republican president.

– Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla. (2016)


The very balance of our nation’s highest court is in serious jeopardy. As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, I will do everything in my power to encourage the president and Senate leadership not to start this process until we hear from the American people.

– Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga. (2016)


A lifetime appointment that could dramatically impact individual freedoms and change the direction of the court for at least a generation is too important to get bogged down in politics. The American people shouldn’t be denied a voice.

– Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa (2016)


The campaign is already under way. It is essential to the institution of the Senate and to the very health of our republic to not launch our nation into a partisan, divisive confirmation battle during the very same time the American people are casting their ballots to elect our next president.

– Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C. (2016)


In this election year, the American people will have an opportunity to have their say in the future direction of our country. For this reason, I believe the vacancy left open by Justice Antonin Scalia should not be filled until there is a new president.

– Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C. (2016)


The Senate should not confirm a new Supreme Court justice until we have a new president.

– Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo. (2016)


I think we’re too close to the election. The president who is elected in November should be the one who makes this decision.

– Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Col. (2016)


I believe the best thing for the country is to trust the American people to weigh in on who should make a lifetime appointment that could reshape the Supreme Court for generations. This wouldn’t be unusual. It is common practice for the Senate to stop acting on lifetime appointments during the last year of a presidential term, and it’s been nearly 80 years since any president was permitted to immediately fill a vacancy that arose in a presidential election year.

– Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio (2016)


I strongly agree that the American people should decide the future direction of the Supreme Court by their votes for president and the majority party in the U.S. Senate.

– Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc. (2016)


The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president.

– Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. (2016)


Related Off-site Links:
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Champion of Gender Equality, Dies at 87 – Nina Totenberg (NPR News, September 18, 2020).
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Court’s Feminist Icon, Is Dead at 87 – Linda Greenhouse (The New York Times, September 18, 2020).
Remembering Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Great Equalizer – Jill Lepore (The New Yorker, September 18, 2020).
Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the End of the One Great Woman Myth – Melissa Gira Grant (New Republic, September 19, 2020).
Donald Trump to Put Forth Nominee to Replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in Coming Days – John Santucci and Katherine Faulders (ABC News, September 18, 2020).
Mitch McConnell Says He’ll Make Sure Trump’s Replacement for Ruth Bader Ginsburg Gets a Vote – Li Zhou and Ella Nilsen (Vox, September 18, 2020).
McConnell Vows Quick Vote on Next Justice; Biden Says Wait – Jonathan Lemire and Lisa Mascaro (AP News, September 18, 2020).
If McConnell Packs the Court on Behalf of Minority Rule, Dems Must Expand and Reform It – Juan Cole (Informed Comment via Common Dreams, September 18, 2020).
At Least 4 GOP Senators Have Said They Will Oppose a Vote for a New Justice Before the Election – Jamie Gangel, Manu Raju and Lauren Fox (CNN News, September 18, 2020).
Unequal Justice: Trump’s Supreme Takeover– Bill Blum (The Progressive, September 18, 2020).
RBG – What Happens Next – Chris Thomas (Resist.bot, September 18, 2020).
The One Thing Democrats Can Do to Stop Trump From Replacing Justice Ginsburg – Ian Millhiser (Vox, September 19, 2020).
Death of RBG Sparks Senate Showdown and Calls for Supreme Court Reform – Jessica Corbett (Common Dreams, September 19, 2020).
Donald Trump Says He Will Replace US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg With a Woman — So Who Is That Likely to Be? – Sarah Scopelianos (ABC News, September 19, 2020).
Trump's Leading Pick to Replace RBG Believes Husbands Should Rule Over Wives – William James (The Intellectualist, September 19, 2020).

UPDATES: Ginsburg Vigil Draws Tears and Protests Against McConnell – Danielle Kurtzleben (NPR News, September 20, 2020).
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Is the First Woman Who Will Lie in State at the Capitol – John L. Dorman (Business Insider, September 21, 2020).
The Quieter Reason RBG’s Death Is Such a Blow – Mary Harris (Slate, September 21, 2020).
Amid the Outpouring for Ginsburg, a Hint of Backlash – Jennifer Schuessler (The New York Times, September 21, 2020).
As Trump Plans to Name Supreme Court Nominee This Week, 62% of Americans Oppose Plan to Confirm Ginsburg's Successor Before Election – Julie Conley (Common Dreams, September 21, 2020).
Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Fight for Gender Equity was for All of Us – Ria Tabacco Mar (ACLU.org, September 22, 2020).
The RBG Legacy for Women of Color – Melba Pearson (The Miami Times, September 23, 2020).
With Romney's Support, GOP Likely Has Votes to Move Ahead With Ginsburg's Replacement – Brian Naylor (NPR News, September 22, 2020).
McConnell Is on the Losing Side of History – And He Knows It – John F. Harris (Politico, September 23, 2020).
Republicans Are Likely to Win the Battle to Replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg. There Are Three Things Democrats Could Do Next – Peter Marsh (ABC News, September 24, 2020).
Trump Selects Amy Coney Barrett to Fill Ginsburg’s Seat on the Supreme Court – Peter Baker and Maggie Haberman (The New York Times, September 25, 2020).

Image : U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. (Photo: Todd Heisler/The New York Times)


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