U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Dead at Age 87

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the longtime US Supreme Court justice, died Friday at the age of 87 from complications with metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Ginsberg, who spent 27 years on the Court, is survived by her two children, Jane Carol and James Steven Ginsburg. She was surrounded by her family at her home in Washington, DC.

Ginsburg had fought five bouts of two forms of cancer in the past, but her health declined in late 2018 when she underwent a pulmonary lobectomy after two malignant nodules were found in the lower lobe of her left lung.

Ginsburg served as justice on the court’s liberal wing after President Bill Clinton appointed her to the court in 1993. She casted progressive votes on many social issues including same-sex marriage, affirmative action, women’s rights, health care, immigration, and abortion rights.

She quickly developed fame and was nicknamed the “Notorious R.B.G.”

In January 2019, the Supreme Court announced Ginsburg would miss oral arguments for the first time as she recuperated from the surgery.

According to CNN; Ginsburg said, “I have often said I would remain a member of the Court as long as I can do the job full steam,” she said in a statement in July 2020. “I remain fully able to do that.”

What Does This Mean Moving Forward?

According to MSNBC, In the days leading up to her death, Ruth Bader Ginsburg dictated this statement to her granddaughter: “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.”

The vacancy resulting from Ginsburg death, now gives President Trump the ability to increase the conservative majority on the Supreme Court.

Trump was speaking at a rally in Minnesota when Ginsburg death was announced. Trump, not yet aware of her death, said during his speech that “the Supreme Court is so important. The next president will get one, two, three, or four supreme court justices.” Once he learned of her death, Trump told reporters, “I’m actually saddened to hear that.”

Chief Justice John Roberts said, “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.”