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John,
At 4:37 this past Friday afternoon, I received a text from a friend: "RBG passed." That shocking news changed everything. No matter that she had survived five bouts with cancer — she couldn't die now.
To do my part to keep this moment at bay, I had been breathing life into my Notorious RGB face mask every time I set foot outside my home. I even kept my RBG doll (a crowned, judicially robed, pony-tailed bobblehead) close at hand — sharing my Zoom box with her at a women candidate's fundraiser the night before her death. Still, the dreaded moment arrived, and I was devastated, along with millions of Americans, especially women lawyers and judges — like me — who truly feel a personal debt to our beloved Justice Ginsburg for blazing the trail for our careers.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg's legacy is impossible to overstate. Simply put: She fought for the best of what America has to offer. She did so relentlessly and passionately. She left a gigantic mark in permanent ink — a living legacy to equality and justice for all in our society. At the heart of this legacy lie her tireless efforts to advance the causes of gender equality, reproductive rights, the middle class, and a better future for our nation.
As sad and anxious as we feel right now, we must turn these emotions into action. There is no time to spare. The best way to honor Justice Ginsburg's legacy — and to defend her life’s work — is to see to it that her final wish is granted: that she not be replaced until the next president is, in her words, “installed."
We must demand that this vacancy on the Supreme Court not be filled before our next president is inaugurated. And we must absolutely make sure that President is Joe Biden.
We all know that what happens over the next few weeks will determine the direction — and the very essence — of our nation for years to come. By fighting for RBG’s legacy, we will be defending America’s democracy.
Thank you all for doing your part — and thank you, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, for your phenomenal life and legacy.
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