John, 

I am deeply saddened by the profound loss America experienced last night. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the legal, cultural, and feminist icon, was a champion of justice and a representation of the very best of America. Her grit and integrity will continue to inspire us for generations to come.

The architect of the legal fight for women’s rights in the 1970s, Ginsburg went on to serve 27 years on the Supreme Court. Despite prolonged, continuous health battles in recent years, she remained on the Court—and those who knew her say she continued to work just as hard as she always has. She was a fighter.

Justice Ginsburg didn’t just know how to fight—she knew how to win. Before becoming a Justice, she argued six cases in front of the Court and won five of them. After becoming a Justice, she was a staunch defender of our progressive ideals and instrumental in landmark cases that involved gender equality, environmental protection, voting rights, gay rights, and the defense of Dreamers.

Her ability to work with those she disagreed with was well known. And despite core differences in how they interpreted the law, she was able to enjoy a friendship with the late Justice Antonin Scalia. That friendship was a testament to her character and humanity—traits that seem hard to come by in our politics today.

But no one should mistake her friendship with those on the other side of issues with somehow muddled principles—in fact, it was just the opposite. She was more clear-eyed and passionate about her ideals than most of us could hope to be. She fought for them every single day of her life.

John, we must honor her legacy by continuing the fight. Let’s take the time to mourn and to heal from this loss. But then let’s all rise for the fight of our lifetimes. We have to be laser-focused on what’s at stake here—in more tangible ways than ever before.

The rights of women to make their own decisions about their own bodies. Funding for reproductive health care. Safe and legal abortion. Same-sex marriage. The status of Dreamers. These are just a few of the critical things that now hang in the balance.

Mitch McConnell has already promised a vote on a nominee to the Supreme Court and Republicans started fundraising off of the news of Justice Ginsburg’s death just ten minutes after it broke.

This is what we’re up against. The coming weeks will determine the direction of our country, and the soul of our nation, for decades to come.

Let’s honor RBG by fighting as hard as she did.

-Seth