Gavel Down: The loss of an icon

“Serving on this court is the highest honor and most awesome trust that can be placed in a judge.”

– Ruth Bader Ginsburg

By BO MYERS – Student contributor

Ruth Bader Ginsburg (RBG), Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, has died at the age of 87. Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg died Friday due to complications of metastatic pancreatic cancer, the court announced.

Ginsburg was appointed in 1993 by President Bill Clinton and was regarded as the court’s most liberal judge, consistently delivering progressive votes on the most divisive social issues of the day, including abortion rights, same-sex marriage, voting rights, immigration, and health care.

In her tenure on the court, she gained celebrity status and was dubbed the “Notorious RGB.” 

She also gained her fair share of haters, the most critical being President Donald Trump, who said, “her mind is shot,” and called for her to retire numerous times throughout his term.

At speaking events across the country before large audiences, she was greeted with standing ovations. She talked about her view of the law, her famed exercise routine, and her often fiery dissenting comments.  

The country will mourn the loss of Justice Ginsburg, but her death is shaping up to become a massive political issue.  

Chief Justice John Roberts said, “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.”

The speaker of the house has ordered all capital flags to be at lower to half-mast in honor of Justice Ginsburg. 

Ginsburg died surrounded by her family at her Washington, D.C. home. Her family released a statement that her dying wish was that “she not be replaced until a new president is installed.” 

 

Bo Myers is a student at Cranberry High School and a member of Cranberry Chronicles, the school’s journalism/publications class.