Tag: Justice Ginsburg

Without Explanation, McConnell And McCarthy Skip RBG Memorial Service

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell skipped a service on Capitol Hill honoring Ruth Bader Ginsburg, NBC News’ Kasie Hunt reported.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy was also not in attendance at the ceremony honoring Ginsburg, the pioneering Supreme Court justice who died one week ago after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

It’s unclear why neither man attended the service. Doug Andres, a communications staffer for McConnell, declined to comment on what was on McConnell’s schedule that precluded him from attending the event. “No guidance or announcements on his schedule,” Andres said in an email. McCarthy’s office did not immediately return a request for comment.

It is usually the tradition for the top four congressional leaders — the Senate majority and minority leader, and the House speaker and minority leader — to attend major events together, such as the ceremony honoring Ginsburg. Continue reading.

On The Trail: Battle over Ginsburg replacement threatens to break Senate

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The coming battle to fill a seat on the Supreme Court left vacant by the death of liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg threatens to set the Senate on the path that would radically and acrimoniously change what was once the world’s most deliberative body.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) waited less than two hours after the court’s announcement of Ginsburg’s death before declaring he would hold a vote on President Trump’s eventual nominee, a pronouncement as predictable as the Democratic howls of hypocrisy that followed.

The decision is especially politically charged after McConnell’s equally immediate declaration that the Senate would not approve President Obama’s nominee to fill Justice Antonin Scalia’s seat after the conservative icon died just less than 10 months before Election Day. Continue reading.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski says she doesn’t support filling Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat before the election

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President Trump said Saturday that he expects to announce his nominee to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg this week, putting him on track to announce his decision before the first presidential debate with Joe Biden on Sept. 29.

He said he intends to pick a woman for the seat.

“It will be a woman — a very talented, very brilliant woman,” Trump told supporters at an evening campaign rally in North Carolina. “We haven’t chosen yet, but we have numerous women on the list.” Continue reading.

Democrats break fundraising records after Ginsburg’s death

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The most prolific online fundraising platform for Democratic candidates and causes said Sunday morning that donors had contributed more than $91 million in the 28 hours after the Supreme Court announced that Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had died.

ActBlue said Ginsburg’s death had led to an unprecedented surge of donations to progressive groups. Donors gave $6.3 million in just one hour late Friday and $70.6 million on Saturday, the platform said, both records for their respective time periods.

The previous daily record was nearly $42 million. The previous hourly record was a little more than $4 million. Continue reading.

Rep. Dean Phillips on the Passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

There are few names that command as much reverence as Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I’m saddened in ways I never imagined possible.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg was an eternal optimist who never gave up on the American people, and who never stopped pushing us to be better. She embodied the strength and resolve of the human spirit – and of our beloved democracy.

This is a monumental loss for our country. May her memory be a blessing and may her legacy live through all of us.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg worked tirelessly to lay the groundwork of her vision for America – a united nation that did not discriminate on the basis of gender. And with steady conviction she zeroed in on distinct violations of civil liberties until that groundwork became precedent, and precedent became the law of our land.

Continue reading “Rep. Dean Phillips on the Passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg”

Justice Ginsburg’s Judicial Legacy of Striking Dissents

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She was part of the Supreme Court’s 4-member liberal wing throughout her 27-year tenure and led it in her last decade.

WASHINGTON — There was a framed copy of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 on the wall of the chambers of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died on Friday. She counted the law among her proudest achievements, even as it illustrated her limited power. As part of the Supreme Court’s four-member liberal wing, she did her most memorable work in dissent.

The law was a reaction to her minority opinion in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, the 2007 ruling that said Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 imposed strict time limits for bringing workplace discrimination suits. She called on Congress to overturn the decision, and it did.

On the court, however, her notable victories were few. As she put it in a 2013 interview in her chambers, she was fully engaged in her work as the leader of the liberal opposition on what she called “one of the most activist courts in history.” Continue reading.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg dies at 87

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Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died of metastatic pancreatic cancer at age 87, the Supreme Court announced Friday evening.

The big picture: Ginsburg had suffered from serious health issues over the past few years. As an attorney and then as a justice Ginsburg cemented a legacy as one of the foremost champions of women’s rights, raising gender equality to a constitutional issue. Her death sets up a fight over filling a Supreme Court seat with less than 50 days until the election. 

  • Just days before her death, Ginsburg dictated this statement to her granddaughter: “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed,” according to NPR. Continue reading.

Ginsburg undergoes another cancer treatment

Supreme Court justice is ‘tolerating chemotherapy well’

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg revealed Friday that she has been undergoing treatment for liver cancer, but that she plans to continue on the Supreme Court and “can do the job full steam.”

The health concerns of the consistently liberal 87-year-old justice, which have accelerated in recent years, arise at a critical political moment with a looming presidential election in November.

Ginsburg’s latest round with cancer could elevate Supreme Court appointments as a key campaign issue between Republican President Donald Trump and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden. Continue reading.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg announces recurrence of cancer

Axios logoSupreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg announced Friday that she is in the midst of treating a recurrence of liver cancer, but said she remains “fully able” to fulfill her duties on the court.

The big picture: The 87-year-old has survived multiple bouts of cancer, amid a slew of health complications in recent years. Earlier this week, she was hospitalized due to an infection but was subsequently released.

  • Ginsburg said she began a course of chemotherapy in May after discovering the cancer in a scan in February.
  • She added that her most recent scan on July 7 “indicated significant reduction of the liver lesions and no new disease.” She also said that she is “tolerating chemotherapy well” and will continue biweekly treatments.
  • She noted that her hospitalization earlier this week was not linked to her cancer. Continue reading.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg released from hospital after being treated for gallstones

Ginsburg underwent nonsurgical treatment for a benign gallbladder condition that was causing an infection.

The Notorious R.B.G. appears to be A-OK.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was released from the hospital on Wednesday after being treated for gallstones, the court said in a statement.

Ginsburg underwent nonsurgical treatment at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore on Tuesday for a benign gallbladder condition that was causing an infection. The condition was detected Monday after the court’s historic telephone session for oral arguments. Tests confirmed that a gallstone had migrated to her cystic duct, causing a blockage and infection. Continue reading.