Cicilline Statement on Death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Statement

Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC) Chair David N. Cicilline (RI-01) issued the following statement tonight:

"Ruth Bader Ginsburg spent her life fighting for all those who have been left out and left behind in our country, especially women. As one of the founders of the Women's Rights Project at the ACLU, she worked relentlessly to strike down laws that discriminated against women in this country."

"As a Supreme Court Justice, she stood steadfast over the past 30 years against right-wing activists who would take away the rights of women to make their own health care decisions. In her later years on the bench, she refused to back down in the face of corporate special interests, fought conservative efforts to gut the Voting Rights Act, and helped move the cause of LGTBQ Americans closer towards full equality. Her death this evening is a loss for our entire country."

"In February 2016, following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, Mitch McConnell said, 'The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president.'"

"Justice Ginsburg evidently agreed with this sentiment. In her final days, she dictated a statement to her granddaughter Clara Spera: 'My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.'" We should honor her dying wishes. As we mourn this giant of American jurisprudence, the Senate should wait to fill this vacancy until the American people have selected the next president."

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