Did Justice Ginsburg Stay Too Long?

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a liberal stalwart. An icon of a generation. She has fought for everything in her life, and, in recent times, she has been fighting for her life. RBG has had an incredible career and has often been a voice for people who didn’t have one. Her liberal ideology has been a light shining through times of darkness. Through all of her incredible work, I believe that two questions still need to be asked. Was RBG selfish by not resigning toward the beginning of President Obama’s second term in office? Would that have been the right decision to allow President Obama to appoint someone who may last longer on the court? It may not be worth arguing over since it is long in the past, but there is a discussion to be had, nonetheless.

It is always tough to foresee when someone’s health will falter. With RBG, that sadly seems to be the norm rather than the exception at this point. Half of the country is left hanging every time her name comes up on a major news network or trends on Twitter. Thankfully, she has come out on top of everything she has battled thus far, but it is not outlandish to say that one of these times the country may not be so lucky.

The Supreme Court, a supposedly apolitical body that handles some of the most heated political battles that our country has to offer, has more power than many people understand or care to admit. Everyone who makes their way onto the Supreme Court is well educated and extremely qualified. However, as has happened recently with President Trump appointing Justice Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh, two younger, conservative justices with lifetime appointments, the balance of the court can shift in an instant. If something were to happen to RBG, the court could be shifted even further to the right.

I know I speak for many people when I say that I hope that she can continue to fight not only for certain values and ideals, but for her life. RBG is a person of incredible intelligence and prestige, and, although she may have been selfish by not resigning from the bench a few years back, I hope that she can continue to fight for years to come. I am not attempting to demean the career of an incredibly influential justice by any means. Justice Ginsburg deserves to be celebrated as both a person and a legal thinker. Things are always easier to see in hindsight, but disregarding the fact that the Supreme Court could potentially have another young, conservative justice on the bench replacing a member of the liberal backbone would be improper.

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