WASHINGTON (AP)—Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a diminutive but outstanding women’s rights activist who became the second female justice court, died at her home in Washington on Friday. She was 87 years old.
Ginsburg died of complications of metastatic pancreatic cancer, the court said.
By the time two small tumors were found in one of her lungs in December 2018, during a follow-up scan for broken ribs suffered in a recent fall, Justice Ginsburg had beaten colon cancer in 1999 and early-stage pancreatic cancer 10 years later. She received a coronary stent to clear a blocked artery in 2014.
Ginsburg had suffered from five bouts of cancer, most recently a recurrence in early 2020 when a biopsy revealed lesions on her liver. She had said that chemotherapy was yielding “positive results” and that she was able to maintain an active daily routine.
Barely five feet tall and weighing 100 pounds, Justice Ginsburg drew comments for years on her fragile appearance. But she was tough, working out regularly with a trainer, who published a book about his famous client’s challenging exercise regime.
Ginsburg revealed in July that she was doing chemotherapy for her liver tumors, the latest of her many cancer wars.
“I have often said I would remain a member of the Court as long as I can do the job full steam,” she said in a statement in July 2020. “I remain fully able to do that.”
Ginsburg served her final years on the bench as the undisputed representative of the liberal side of the judiciary, becoming a rock star for her admirers. Young women, in particular, seemed to welcome the Jewish grandma of the court, affectionately calling her the Infamous RBG, for her support of the rights of women and minorities, and for the power and determination she demonstrated in the face of personal loss and health crises.
Election Day 2020 is 46 days away.
She defied calls from liberals to resign during Barack Obama’s presidency at a time when Democrats were controlling the Senate and a replacement with opposing views may have been approved. Instead, President Donald Trump would almost definitely attempt to drive Ginsburg’s nominee into the Republican-controlled Senate — and shift the constitutional court much farther to the right.
After the abrupt death of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia in February 2016, Republicans including Sens. Ted Cruz and Mitch McConnell announced within hours that the next president, with just 11 months—269 days — leaving in Obama’s second term, should also appoint a replacement.
Ginsburg reportedly dictated the following statement to her granddaughter before her death: “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.”
Ginsburg, who died on the eve of the Jewish new year, was surrounded by her family at her home in Washington, DC, the court said. A private interment service will be held at Arlington National Cemetery.
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