In yet another tragic turn of 2020, beloved and widely respected Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away. The supreme court justice was known for her extensive work on furthering women’s rights and serving as a voice of liberalism on the court. It is because of her that women in America enjoy the rights they do. Moreover, she is known for respecting other opinions and maintaining friendships with justices who were conservative, most notably Scalia.

          Upon hearing of Ginsburg’s passing, President Trump lauded the late justice, praising her “brilliant mind” and widely revered legacy. He continued his admiration and praised her for showing that “one can disagree without being disagreeable toward one’s colleague of different points of view.” He closed his statement by saying “her opinions, including well known decisions regarding the legal equality of women and the disabled, have inspired all Americans, and generations of great legal minds.”

          While Trump’s comments appear genuine, he quickly made a point that he intends to replace her with a new justice speedily. This comes with great criticism, however, as when Obama was in the final year of his term, he received considerable pushback from a Republican lead Senate for attempting to do the same. In fact, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham made the comment “I want you to use my words against me. If there’s a Republican president in 2016 and a vacancy occurs in the last year of the first term, you can say Lindsey Graham said let’s let the next president, whoever it might be, make that nomination.”

          However, now that the Republican party now controls both the Senate and White House, sentiments have considerably shifted. Though Trump has not yet released his picks—as of September 21st—it is likely that he will reveal his choices in the near future. At the moment, however, he maintains that the pick will likely be a woman, thus maintaining the feminine voice that the notorious RBG had on the court.

          Ruth Bader Ginsburg had a life unlike any other. It was one of amazing excellence, triumph over adversity, and dedication to creating a more equitable world. While most would consider her one of the greatest justices in US history, the far ends of the political spectrum beg to differ. Conservative voices maintain that her rulings were far too liberal and contributed to the moral degradation of society. Dissimilarly, far leftists argue that she was a ‘white woman’s feminist’ and did little to help marginalized groups, and moreover contributed to their oppression.

          If the legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg proves anything to be evident in the United States, it is that there is an increasing polarization within the two party system.

          For further knowledge on the legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, check out the movie: “RBG.”