Nation grieves, remembers RBG
Recalls a life’s work, but also the person behind it
WASHINGTON – Lawmakers, past presidents, world leaders and pundits reacted Friday night to the death of Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a lifelong pioneer for gender equality and the second woman to serve on the nation’s highest court.
Ginsburg leaves behind an enormous influence on the law as the nation’s preeminent litigator for women’s rights, a federal appeals court judge, a Supreme Court justice for 27 years and, most recently, as the leader of the high court’s liberal bloc, where she served as a bulwark against an increasingly conservative majority.
Even as they mourn Ginsburg’s death, officials at the White House and on Capitol Hill have begun thinking about the process of filling her seat.
Here is how she is being remembered.
President Donald Trump
President Donald Trump was speaking at a rally at the time of Ginsburg’s passing. Afterward, he said, “She led an amazing life. What else can you say? She was an amazing woman – whether you agree or not – she was an amazing woman who led an amazing life.”
“Actually sad to hear that. I am sad to hear that,” he continued.
Trump later called Ginsburg a “titan of the law” and that her opinions “have inspired all Americans, and generations of great legal minds.”
First lady Melania Trump
The first lady tweeted her condolences on Saturday morning.
“Justice’s Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s passing is a immense loss. Her tenacity & strength were matched by her intellect & compassion, & her spirit will live on in all she has inspired. My prayers are with her family & all who loved her. #RIPRBG”
Former President Barack Obama
The 44th president released his remembrance of Ginsburg in a post to Medium overnight Friday.
“Over a long career on both sides of the bench – as a relentless litigator and an incisive jurist – Justice Ginsburg helped us see that discrimination on the basis of sex isn’t about an abstract ideal of equality; that it doesn’t only harm women; that it has real consequences for all of us. It’s about who we are – and who we can be,” Obama wrote.
“Ruth Bader Ginsburg fought to the end, through her cancer, with unwavering faith in our democracy and its ideals. That’s how we remember her.” He followed that with a reference to Ginsburg’s deathbed wish that her seat on the court not be filled “until a new president is installed.”
Chief Justice John Roberts
“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.”
Justice Clarence Thomas
Thomas wrote he was heartbroken to learn of her passing. “Through the many challenges both professionally and personally, she was the essence of grace, civility and dignity. She was a superb judge who gave her best and exacted the best from each of us, whether in agreement or disagreement. And, as outstanding as she was as a judge, she was an even better colleague – unfailingly gracious, thoughtful, and civil.”
Justice Sonia Sotomayor
Sotomayor called her a dear friend and colleague, and “an American hero” who spent her life “fighting for the equality of all people, and she was a pathbreaking champion of women’s rights.”
“I will miss Ruth greatly,” Sotomayor wrote. “She welcomed me to the Court with a warmth I could not have expected, and I came to feel a special kinship with her. She was someone whose wisdom, kindness, and unwavering support I could always rely on. I will forever cherish the moments we shared.”
Justice Elena Kagan
Kagan echoed Sotomayor’s comments that Ginsburg was a hero and tireless fighter for equal rights.
“Ruth reached out to encourage and assist me in my career, as she did for so many others, long before I came to the Supreme Court,” Kagan said. “And she guided and inspired me, on matters large and small, once I became her colleague. I will miss her – her intellect, her generosity, her sly wit, her manifest integrity, and her endless capacity for work – for the rest of my life.”
Democratic nominee Joe Biden
The former vice president made remarks Friday night, saying Ginsburg “stood for all of us. He added, “In the coming days, we should focus on the loss of (the justice) & her enduring legacy.”
“She never failed,” Biden continued. “She was fierce, unflinching in her pursuit of civil rights for everyone.”
Contributing: Associated Press