The loss of only the second woman to ever sit on the U.S. high court is being deeply felt by women the world over. In America, Ginsburg fought for the adoption of gender equality and was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1993. She was leading the court’s liberal wing. Her loss could be deeply felt during the elections if the high court is called to decide on its results.
Since her appointment to the Supreme Court in 1993, Ginsburg had fought some powerful issues including abortion rights, and inspired generations of women. The Supreme Court’s 5-4 conservative majority now drops to 4-4, and if President Trump manages to install a conservative replacement before the November elections, it could not bode well for the Democrats if the November 3 election results prove to be contentious, like in 2000.
When conservative Justice Antonin Scalia died of a heart attack in February 2016, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnel argued that the Republican-led chamber could not fill the position in what was an election year at the time. President Barack Obama had nominated Judge Merrick Garland, a centrist from the appellate court, and the seat remained empty until Trump appointed Conservative Neil Gorsuch.
Mitch McConnel has drawn many accusations for a hypocritical statement made just over a year ago. At the time he declared the Senate would fill any nomination made by Trump during 2020, an election year.
It appears that this opportunity is vital for Trump to increase the conservative majority to 6-3 since the court decides on pivotal matters. He is the first president since Ronald Reagan to have had the opportunity to make three appointments to the highest U.S. judicial body.
This opportunity also offers Trump the ability to see more rulings approved since Chief Justice John Roberts has sided with liberal justices twice. The first was the preservation of the 2012 Obamacare healthcare law and has also included other recent rulings abhorrent to Republicans.
This has prompted Trump to recently tweet, “Do you get the impression the Supreme Court doesn’t like me?” This appears to be his chance to turn more rulings in his direction.
