I was shocked and depressed to hear the news of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death last night. She was, as everyone agrees, an extraordinary woman, a brilliant jurist, and a champion for the underdog.

Given that she was 87 and had valiantly battled cancer was years, her death was not a complete surprise, though I have no doubt she fought to survive until January 3, when the next Congress takes power.

Saddest of all is that her death at this moment allows the worst president in history, a man elected by a minority of voters, to put three far-right justices on the U.S. Supreme Court. It is utterly indecent to choose a new justice less than two months before the presidential election. But no one ever accused either Trump or Mitch McConnell of being decent. Their lust for power drives them forward.

Here is a beautiful tribute that I think you will appreciate.

Dave Pell wrote:

The Jewish holiday being celebrated today is called Rosh Hashanah. Those words translate as “the head of the year.” God knows we could use a new year, and with any luck, this will be a Ruth Hashanah, a year when America returns to the ideals of one if its greatest leaders in the fight for equality and justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah, literally “day of shouting or blasting.” So consider this less of an affront to a Jewish holiday and more a special edition news blast. Today, Nina Totenberg tweeted: “A Jewish teaching says those who die just before the Jewish new year are the ones God has held back until the last moment because they were needed most and were the most righteous.” It’s considered a big deal if a person dies on Shabbat, and an even bigger deal when it happens on Shabbat and Rosh Hashanah. Ginsburg died as the sun set into both. In Jewish tradition, this would make her a Tzadik (RBGT); a person of great righteousness. It’s a shame to lose another one of those when America needs them the most. Time for the rest of us to pick up the slack. Ruth Bader Ginsburg: 1933-2020

One of our readers submitted Senator Bernie Sanders’ tribute to Justice Ginsburg. Senator Sanders, by the way, graduated from James Madison High School in Brooklyn, as did Justice Ginsburg, both illustrious graduates of the New York City publuc schools (Susan Schwartz, a frequent commentator here, was a high school classmate of Bernie Sanders.)

Senator Sanders called on his Republican colleagues to honor the statements they made in 2016, when they refused to give a hearing to President Obama’s nominee to full Justice Scalia’ seat after his untimely death in February. The Republicans insisted that it would be wrong to fill a Supreme Court vacancy only only nine months before a presidential election.

Senator Sanders wrote:

First and foremost, the passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a tremendous loss for our country. She was an extraordinary champion of equal rights and will be remembered as one of the great justices in modern American history.

That said, the right thing to do here is obvious, and that is to wait for whoever wins the presidential election to appoint the next Supreme Court Justice.

Unfortunately, we’ve already heard from Mitch McConnell that he has decided to go against Justice Ginsburg’s dying wish — and his own words from 2016 — in order to bring a judge nominated by Trump to the floor of the United States Senate.

McConnell’s goal, maybe above all others, is to pack the courts with partisan ideologues who will protect corporations at the expense of workers, will suppress people’s right to vote, and will allow the wealthy to buy our elections. And make absolutely no mistake about it, if he gets his way in this Supreme Court fight, that will be the end of Roe v. Wade.

Thankfully, not all Republicans agree with Mitch McConnell, especially if their past words from 2016 are any guide:

Senator Lindsey Graham

“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.”

Senator Ted Cruz

“It has been 80 years since a Supreme Court vacancy was nominated and confirmed in an election year. There is a long tradition that you don’t do this in an election year.”

Senator Cory Gardner

“I think we’re too close to the election. The president who is elected in November should be the one who makes this decision.”

Senator Marco Rubio

“I don’t think we should be moving on a nominee in the last year of this president’s term  —  I would say that if it was a Republican president .”

Senator Rob Portman

“It is common practice for the Senate to stop acting on lifetime appointments during the last year of a presidential term, and it’s been nearly 80 years since any president was permitted to immediately fill a vacancy that arose in a presidential election year.”

And a number of senators have weighed in even more recently:

Senator Lisa Murkowski, just yesterday:

“I would not vote to confirm a Supreme Court nominee. We are 50 some days away from an election.”

Senator Chuck Grassley in May

“You can’t have one rule for Democratic presidents and another rule for Republican presidents.”

Senator Susan Collins very recently:

“I think that’s too close, I really do,” when asked about appointing a justice in October.

Every issue we care about is at stake: abortion rights, campaign finance reform, voting rights, workers’ rights, health care, LGBTQ rights, climate change, environmental rights, gun safety and more.

Together we must do everything we can to hold the House, flip the Senate, and defeat Donald Trump. But now we also must do all we can to hold Mitch McConnell and many Republican senators to the word and let the winner of the next presidential election nominate Justice Ginsburg’s replacement.

In solidarity,

Bernie Sanders