Iconic US SC justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg dies; speculation on replacement

Ginsburg was appointed to the US Supreme Court in 1993 by then president Bill Clinton

ruth bader ginsburg Ruth Bader Ginsburg | Reuters

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman to become a justice of the US Supreme Court, died at her home in Washington on Friday.

Ginsburg had been unwell for some time from metastatic pancreatic cancer. Ginsburg had revealed in July she was undergoing chemotherapy for lesions on her liver.

Ginsburg was appointed to the US Supreme Court in 1993 by then president Bill Clinton, in the first such appointment by a Democrat in 26 years.

"Ginsburg spent her final years on the bench as the unquestioned leader of the court's liberal wing and became something of a rock star to her admirers. Young women especially seemed to embrace the court's Jewish grandmother, affectionately calling her the Notorious RBG, for her defence of the rights of women and minorities, and the strength and resilience she displayed in the face of personal loss and health crises," the Associated Press reported.

However, Ginsburg was criticised for resisting calls from liberals to retire during the Barack Obama era when the Democrats held the Senate and a similar ‘liberal’ justice could have been appointed as a replacement.

The death of Ginsburg just weeks before the US presidential election on November 3 has triggered speculation on whether US President Donald Trump will appoint a replacement. Associated Press reported, "Trump will almost certainly try to push Ginsburg's successor through the Republican-controlled Senate—and move the conservative court even more to the right". Ginsburg had described Trump as a "faker" in interviews during the presidential election of 2016. However, she soon apologised for the comments.

Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell declared the Senate, which is Republican held, would vote to pick a successor to Ginsburg chosen by Trump.

Trump paid tribute to Ginsburg, calling her an "amazing woman" at a rally in Minnesota. Interestingly, he did not mention filling her vacant position in the Supreme Court.

In a statement, Trump called her a "titan of the law" and said she showed "One can disagree without being disagreeable to one's colleagues…".

Chief Justice John Roberts was effusive in his praise for Ginsburg. “Our nation has lost a jurist of historic stature. We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague. Today we mourn, but with confidence that future generations will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg as we knew her—a tireless and resolute champion of justice,” Roberts was quoted as saying by Associated Press.

Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden stated "Ruth Bader Ginsburg stood for all of us. She practiced the highest American ideals as a justice."

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