The confrontation between Democrats and Republicans in the United States is reaching a completely new level, which is associated with the death of Ruth Ginsburg.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the oldest member of the US Supreme Court. She has long experienced health problems, but stubbornly refused to retire. Her death in the midst of an unprecedented political standoff seriously raises the stakes in the presidential race.
Ginsburg was the idol of the liberal public and an ardent opponent of Donald Trump. Disregarding the principle of impartiality that is fundamental to judges, in 2016 she criticized the future president and promised to leave for New Zealand if Trump wins. However, she broke her promise. Ginsburg had hoped to sit out Trump to prevent him from nominating a Republican judge, but she died of cancer last night at the age of 87.
According to American law, in the event of the death of a member of the Supreme Court, a new one must immediately take his place. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has already announced that Ginsburg’s successor should be appointed after the presidential elections.
“Do not misunderstand me. Voters must choose a president, and this president must choose a successor to Judge Ginzburg”, – he said.
However, the Republicans have a different opinion. Almost immediately after the death of Ginzburg, the ABC television channel, citing its own sources, said that Trump was ready to nominate his candidate for the position of judge in the coming days. The main contender, according to sources, is the well-known conservative and appellate judge Amy Coney Barrett. Voting by appointment is held in the Senate, which is controlled by the Republicans. Mitch McConnell, Republican Majority Leader in the upper house of Congress, has already promised to secure the procedure.
“The candidacy proposed by President Trump will be voted on by the full US Senate”, – he said.
McConnell recalled that for 40 years there has not been a single case in which the Senate majority in an election year would approve a candidate for a Supreme Court Justice from another party president.
Usually, the appointment procedure takes about four months, which means that the Republicans will have to hurry, because there are 6 weeks left before the presidential elections. The struggle that unfolded because of the death of Ginzburg is understandable. Supreme Court justices are appointed for life, and Donald Trump has already appointed two members of this court during his presidency. For many decades, he pushes the US judicial system to deep conservatism, promoting his own protégés here. In fact, this is Trump’s presidential legacy that will outlive him.