Opinion Piece: The Fight for RBG’s Seat

For the past few weeks, our country has been mourning the passing of Supreme court justice Ruth Bater Ginsberg. Beloved by many, “The Notorious RBG” was an iconic figure in the fight for women's rights, starting out as a little girl in Brooklyn and working her way up to the top of the judicial sphere. However, while the country deals with the late justice’s passing, we must come to an agreement on what to do with her now vacant seat on the court. Senator Mitch McConell has already voiced his intent to appoint a conservative justice in her place, which is very much within his rights as senate majority leader. However, many political figures have come out in opposition to this, reminding the American people of Mcconell’s words just four years ago, when conservative justice Antonin Scalia passed away 9 months before the end of President Obama’s second term in office. “Remember that the Senate has not filled a vacancy arising in an election year when there was a divided government since 1888, almost 130 years ago,″ McConell argued, declaring that the senate would not consider a replacement justice until after the next president took office.

Now, many are criticizing him as changing his views to line up with his personal agenda. While this might be a valid argument, one must recognize that unlike in 2016, Republicans nowadays have control both in the house and senate. Furthermore, times have changed, and ever since the horrible mistreatment of Justice Kavanaugh back in 2018 by Senate democrats, conservatives have taken up a more aggressive strategy. They recognize that democratic politicians aren’t always the most just, and that it’s up to Republicans to appoint justices who will interpret the constitution the way our country’s founders intended. These include interpretations on issues such as reproductive rights, healthcare, immigration, and more. However, whether or not you one agrees morally with McConell’s stance, it’s clear that he is acting within his rights to do what he believes is best for the country.