Ruth Bader Ginsburg Battles Cancer Again and Reminds Democrats What is at Stake in 2020

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is battling cancer again. She is 86 and it's her fourth bout with the disease. She has suffered from both pancreatic and lung cancer during her tenure on the Supreme Court. Her doctors were upbeat, however, about her prognosis after her most recent treatments saying there is no evidence the disease has spread elsewhere.

The Guardian: "As the court’s oldest member, Ginsburg has been asked questions for years about her health and how long she plans to stay on the court, even as she’s attracted enthusiastic fans as the leader of the liberal wing. Both liberals and conservatives watch her health closely because it’s understood the court would shift right for decades if Trump were to get the ability to nominate someone to replace her."

Justice Ginsburg is quite aware of what is at stake and she will remain on the Court as long as she is able. She is currently part of a four justice liberal/moderate minority. So far, they have been able to prevent a conservative tide from turning into a tsunami because of some lingering respect for stare decisis, Chief Justice Robert's reluctance to have the Court appear too political and the occasional conservative defection. However, the addition of just one more Trump appointed justice, like Amy Coney Barrett of the Seventh Circuit, would threaten 60 years of progress by the Supreme Court on regulation of the environmental, criminal justice, immigrant rights, abortion, and LGBT rights. For progressives and civil libertarians, there is no way to overstate how important it is to prevent another Trump appointee from joining the Court.

Despite her pain and personal sacrifice, Justice Ginsburg will fight to remain on the court until a Democrat can name her successor in 2021. Her strength and perseverance should be a rallying cry motivating Democrats to support their eventual nominee and to vote in record numbers next year.

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By: Don Lam & Curated Content