12 SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Mutually assured court destruction
Ruth Bader Ginsburg will forever
be remembered as one of
the true giants of the Supreme
Court — an unparalleled champion of
equal rights for every American.
Throughout her 27 years on the
bench, which ended with her untimely
death on Sept. 18 at the age of 87, she
demonstrated proud service to the
American people and the hallmark of
her undying campaign to fulfi ll “equal
justice under law.” Ginsburg always put
fi rst the Constitution, our democratic republican
system of government, and the
unalienable rights of the individual.
The loss of this great American comes
at the worst possible time — the throes
of the most contentious presidential
election we’ve ever had, involving a
president that never lets an opportunity
to seize further political power go
to waste.
President Trump says he will move
forward with nominating a successor
to Ginsburg’s seat, and Senate Majority
Leader Mitch McConnell — selfproclaimed
member of the Republican
Party-turned-obedient-party-of-Trump
— says he’ll move it forward to a vote.
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Supreme Court nominee Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg speaks as she is sworn in during her confi rmation hearing
before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, July 20, 1993. REUTERS/Gary Hershorn
Never mind, of course, that McConnell
wouldn’t give Merrick Garland
— President Obama’s nomination to
succeed the late Antonin Scalia on
the Supreme Court — the time of day
months ahead of the 2016 presidential
election.
Back then, McConnell said it was
too close to the election then to move
forward with the Senate’s “advise and
consent” responsibilities. Now, less than
50 days out from the 2020 election, time
isn’t an issue.
McConnell’s hypocrisy and Trump’s
brazenness threaten to tear the country
apart even further. Democrats are
already talking about adding two or
more seats to the Supreme Court if
Trump and McConnell ram through
a nominee — should Joe Biden win the
presidency in November.
Court-packing would be the last, best
instrument of neutralizing three partisan
appointees made by an impeached
president who lost the popular vote four
years ago.
But it opens a Pandora’s box to further
politicize the Supreme Court, allowing
parties to pack the court each time they
win to get the rulings they want. The
independence of the Judiciary, already
undermined for decades through
partisan appointments, would all but
disappear.
Trump and McConnell have set the
country up for the mutually assured
destruction of the Supreme Court —
the greatest arbiter of justice in our
country.
Moving forward with fi lling Ginsburg’s
seat now will set this country
back decades on progress.
Trump and McConnell’s mutual selfishness
threaten to bring the country to
a breaking point.
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