Letter from an Editor | September 26, 2020

Dear John,

I believe I’m not alone in the feeling that this week has been an incredibly difficult one, even compared to the many difficult weeks we’ve faced as a nation over the course of this year. Last Friday evening, we mourned the news of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death. Over her decades long career, RBG fought for and achieved major, historic gains for gender equality—and we owe her a great deal. We had a number of Ms . writers write on her life and legacy this week, and I hope you’ll spend some time reflecting with us and reading the moving articles below.

On Wednesday came the news that—more than six months after Breonna Taylor was fatally shot by police while asleep in her bed in Louisville, Kentucky—a grand jury concluded that none of the officers involved are criminally responsible for her murder. The lesser charge of wanton endangerment brought against only one of the three officers responsible for her death has made evident the abject failure of our criminal justice system that enables police officers to take a life with little to no consequence. This ruling illustrates the deadly repercussions of a system that disproportionately over-polices Black Americans and endangers their lives, even when they are asleep in their own homes. There has been no justice served. Our thoughts are with Breonna Taylor’s family and loved ones as they continue to fight for the justice she is due.

And to end this week, Americans were faced with President Trump’s refusal to commit to peacefully leaving office if he loses to former Vice President Joe Biden in the upcoming presidential election. And as I write this letter, we are also awaiting the announcement of Trump’s nominee to fill the vacancy on Supreme Court left by Justice Ginsburg’s death—a seat the President has no right to fill, as some Americans have already begun early voting around the country. Sixty-two percent of Americans—including eight out of 10 Democrats and five out of 10 Republicans—believe that the vacancy should be filled by the winner of the upcoming presidential election. There are just 38 days left until Election Day; control of the Senate is up for grabs and polling has shown that the GOP will pay a high price if they ram through this appointment.

You can depend on our team at Ms . to keep you up to date. We’ll continue reporting on what’s at stake in the nomination battle – from our health care and voting rights, to our access to abortion care and birth control, and from our right to be free from discrimination in employment, education, housing, and credit to our fight for racial and economic justice – and so much more.

And so yes—I do believe this has been one of the most difficult weeks in recent memory. But the only response to a week like this one is to continue our fight for equality and justice. We must keep fighting.

For equality, Kathy Spillar
Executive Editor

COMING TUESDAY: We wanted our Ms . Weekly Digest readers to be the first to know about a special bonus episode of our podcast, On The Issues with Michele Goodwin [[link removed]] , coming this Tuesday. Dr. Goodwin—along with special guests including constitutional law experts and a U.S. Congresswoman—will be answering a question of critical importance: can the President suspend the election? Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts [[link removed]] to be the first to know when the new episode goes live!

This Week's Must-Reads from Ms .

The People Want to Wait: Polling Shows Voters Want Election Winner to Fill SCOTUS Vacancy [[link removed]]

Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Legacy—as a Lawyer, on the Bench and in Dissent [[link removed]]

Sen. Tammy Duckworth: “Ginsburg Changed This Nation—and My Own Life—Time and Again” [[link removed]]

Women’s Inequality Has Been Maintained by Force of Law. Ruth Bader Ginsburg Knew This. [[link removed]]

Court Expansion is the Only Legitimate Response To Republicans’ Illegitimate Theft of the Court [[link removed]]

“A Painful Day”: No Officers Criminally Responsible for Death of Breonna Taylor [[link removed]]

On The Issues with Michele Goodwin Podcast, Episode 7: The Ms. Back to School Special [[link removed]]

Watch the Women: Close Senate Races in Maine, Iowa, Kansas, Arizona [[link removed]]

Delays Expected in Election Results as More Voters Opt for Mail-in Ballots [[link removed]]

Women’s Representation Roundup: Ginsburg’s Impact on the 2020 Election [[link removed]]

Our friend, Cynthia Terrell, founder and executive director of RepresentWomen, is back with another installment of her weekly column, rounding up some of her favorite stories about women’s representation in the news this week.



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