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Campaign Updates

09/18/2020

Statement on the Death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

"Tonight we mourn but tomorrow we will fight to breathe life into our democracy with our votes, our activism, and our organized resistance to any effort to nominate a replacement for Justice Ginsburg before the sitting of a new congress and president."

For Immediate Release: September 18, 2020

Media Contact: press@populardemocracy.org

In response to the news of Supreme Court Justice and fierce advocate for equality Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s passing, Ana Maria Archila, co-executive director of the Center for Popular Democracy released the following statement:

“The death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg is an unthinkable loss for our country and for our democracy. Justice Ginsburg was a champion for justice who helped lay the foundation for equal rights for all people.

In her last wish, Justice Ginsburg asked that a replacement not be nominated for the Supreme Court until a new president is installed.

Justice Ginsburg understood, as do we, that the Supreme Court is the cornerstone of our democracy. Our country deserves a Supreme Court that people can trust, that people believe is legitimate, and that acts as an unbiased defender of our constitutional rights rather than any political party’s agenda.

The legitimacy of the Supreme Court flows directly from people's ability to shape its composition through the election of a president and senate. We must honor Justice Ginsburg’s legacy by allowing the American people the opportunity to elect the leaders that will be tasked with filling this vacancy. 

We urge the Senate to act with integrity and resist any attempt to force a nomination before a new congress is installed. Any attempt to nominate a Supreme Court justice when our country is within 45 days of a presidential election would be an assault on democracy and a self-serving political ploy by the current administration. It would cause deep instability in our country at a moment when people are already facing unprecedented crises.

At the Center for Popular Democracy, tonight we mourn but tomorrow we will fight to breathe life into our democracy with our votes, our activism, and our organized resistance to any effort to nominate a replacement for Justice Ginsburg before the sitting of a new congress and president. The people deserve a process that builds their trust and belief in our government, now more than ever.”

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www.populardemocracy.org

The Center for Popular Democracy is a national network of more than 50 community organizations dedicated to achieving racial and economic justice through local grassroots organizing. CPD trains and supports leadership, staff, and members to grow base-building organizations to scale and leverage that strength to win cutting-edge policy victories at the federal, state and local level.