Image taken from Politico.
As a woman with ambition during a period where a woman’s silence was expected and intelligence undervalued, Ruth Bader Ginsburg did not just persevere through her struggles, she reformed existing rules to help future generations. Being the second female and first Jewish Supreme Court Justice, Ginsburg’s personal experiences with discrimination only served to motivate her.
The loss of the notorious R.B.G. has left a gaping void in our system, with justice seeming constantly out of reach during this time. As time is running out with regards to many political issues-- the election is getting closer, peaceful protests are being threatened, and a new seat is open at the Supreme Court of Justice--those who seek justice are infinitely more essential. The responsibility to stay informed and act on injustices, to prevent Justice Ginsburg’s accomplishments from being undermined, has never been more vital.
Before becoming a Supreme Court Justice, Ginsberg helped women enlist in the navy and the police force, fought against pregnancy discrimination in the workplace, and fought for the Title VII Civil Rights Act of 1964, along with many other policies like The Equal Pay Act that helps protect women against various forms of persecution based on sex, orientation, gender, and race. The pint-sized Ginsburg faced down rooms filled to the brim with prejudice. Yet, her impassioned speeches slowly trickled into the law as she has turned history towards the side of empathy.
Within two weeks of her death, President Trump is attempting to accelerate the Judicial appointment process by pushing to elect a new Justice immediately. The Supreme Court fight is unprecedentedly close to the elections and the present Justices consist of five individuals with more right-leaning ideologies and three more left-leaning judges. This rallying point for many conservatives could shift the Supreme Court from a balance between the left and right to more conservative viewpoints. The ongoing battle also serves to distract from the failures related to containing the Coronavirus as people across the country have drastically polarized perspectives.
President Trump’s current nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, will move an already right-leaning court farther to the conservative side. This will put many significant issues at risk such as decisions in the right to abortions, the rights of members of the LGBTQ+ community (specifically marriage equality), rights to health care (the Affordable Care Act), freedom of religion, accessibility to guns, and many others. Additionally, Barrett would become the youngest member, allowing her to serve in court for decades to come.
It is seemingly impossible to put into words the injustice of having an entire system relying on an eighty-seven year-old woman in order to maintain a semblance of equal rights. Democracy, in it’s best form, is about representing all people through slow compromise, inching towards a better future. Ruth Bader Ginsburg puts it best: "Dissents speak to a future age. It's not simply to say, 'My colleagues are wrong and I would do it this way.' But the greatest dissents do become court opinions and gradually over time their views become the dominant view. So that's the dissenter's hope: that they are writing not for today, but for tomorrow." The fight for justice and equality is not one achieved for the individual. Therefore, it cannot be achieved by any individual. Even when it seems like democracy is failing, it is important to remember that the people make up the democracy.