Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Has Passed

The United States Supreme Court has announced the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg today after a battle with metastatic cancer of the pancreas. Justice Ginsburg became the second woman on the highest court in the land, following Sandra Day O’Connor.

President Jimmy Carter named Justice Ginsburg to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in 1980, where she would serve for thirteen years until joining the Supreme Court.

While the time for mourning is of utmost concern, there will be a lot of discussion about the presidential election and the replacement of Justice Ginsburg. One of her final statements that was shared publicly within the last few days was: “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.”

There will also be an interesting shift in the Court itself as it reconvenes, as Chief Justice John Roberts was often the deciding vote on several landmark cases, including the Affordable Care Act, that ended in a 5-4 split.