Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had a “most fervent wish” prior to her death and Democratic lawmakers are now fighting to bring that dream to fruition.
Shortly after Ginsburg’s death was reported, her granddaughter Clara Spera released a statement that revealed her grandmother’s dying wish.
“My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed,” Ginsburg said, according to Spears’ statement to Politico.
Ginsburg’s request was revealed as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) released a statement vowing to hold a vote on the Senate floor to replace the late Supreme Court trailblazer with one of President Donald Trump’s nominee.
Democratic leaders immediately fired back at McConnell and Republican lawmakers reminding them of the principle they created in 2016 to block President Barack Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland from receiving a vote on the Senate floor.
With 10 months until the 2016 presidential election, McConnell criticized Obama. The lawmaker said Obama was making the nomination “in order to politicize it for purposes of the election.”
The Senate leader charged that the next president should select the Supreme Court nominee:
“The American people are perfectly capable of having their say on this issue, so let’s give them a voice. Let’s let the American people decide. The Senate will appropriately revisit the matter when it considers the qualifications of the nominee the next president nominates, whoever that might be.”
Now, with just 45 days left until the 2020 presidential election, McConnell is contradicting his own principle and attempting to do what he refused to do under Obama’s leadership in 2016.
If Senate Republicans succeed they will have a chance to tighten their control with a 6-3 majority giving them more power to rule against laws and policies such as Obamacare.
Now, Democratic leaders and lawmakers are looking to honor Ginsburg’s wish with McConnell’s principle in mind.
