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The oldest judge on the United States Supreme Court succumbed to cancer at the age of 87. Her successor is likely to be a key issue in the election campaign.
A prominent liberal Justice of the United States Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, has died. The 87-year-old woman died with her family on Friday as a result of cancer, the court said. “Our nation has lost an attorney of historic stature,” said Chief Justice John Roberts.
President Donald Trump and other politicians from both parties paid tribute to Ginsburg. “He led an incredible life,” Trump said. “She was an amazing woman.” Immediately after the announcement of her death, an argument broke out between Republicans and Democrats about a successor. Since this is nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate, Republicans could cement the conservative orientation of the Constitutional Court for decades.
Defender of women’s rights
Ginsburg was the oldest judge on the Supreme Court and an icon of Liberal American. In 1993, she was appointed by Democratic President Bill Clinton to what is by far the most important court in the country. There she made a particular name for herself as an advocate for women’s rights. She was also instrumental in decision-making on gay rights issues and the abortion law. “Judge Ginsburg paved the way for so many women, including me,” former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton wrote on Twitter.
A very political process
A specific proposal for the successor was not initially known. Trump published a list of 20 potential candidates a few days ago. Many experts expect him to name a woman, possibly conservative federal appeals judge Amy Coney Barrett.
The appointment of constitutional judges is a highly political process in the United States. The nine life judges are openly assigned to political wings. Until Ginsburg’s death, five of them were considered conservatives. Two of them were nominated by Trump: Neil Gorsuch in 2017 and Brett Kavanaugh in 2018. One candidate must be approved by the Senate, where Republicans have a narrow majority. If they manage to get past a relatively young candidate again – Gorsuch is 53 today, Kavanaugh 55 – that could lead to a solid six to three-vote conservative majority on the Supreme Court for decades to come.
Democrats want to decide after the election
Consequently, top Democrats on Friday called for the nomination process to be postponed until after the presidential and congressional elections in early November. According to polls, he is hopeful of taking over the White House and Senate. The next president must determine the successor, demanded Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. Broadcaster NRP reported that Ginsburg herself had issued a statement to her great-granddaughter before her death, according to which she supported the appointment of her successor by the next president. This is your “deepest wish”.
“Certainly, the voters must choose the president, and the president must propose the judge to the Senate,” Biden said of the order of decisions to be made. That is the position that the Senate must take.
Similarly, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said, “The American people must have a voice in choosing their next Supreme Court justice, so this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president,” he tweeted. he.
Republicans want an immediate decision
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell rejected it. The House of Congress will vote on a candidate nominated by Trump, he said. Four years ago, in a similar situation, McConnell made the exact opposite decision: At the time, he refused to allow a moderate candidate for Democratic President Barack Obama to vote before the 2016 election. Some Democrats have proposed adding justices to the Court. Supreme if the elections win in November to break the conservative majority.
(APA / Reuters / dpa)
