Honoring RBG's Wishes

September 19, 2020

Shana Tova if this is your new year!

Since we found out that U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away, it's been an emotional and scary time for many. RBG, as she was known to my generation, inspired millions of people as a famous feminist. She wasn't perfect, as I've been learning about recently, including her complicated record on tribal issues. We have to acknowledge the shortcomings of political "legends." What really matters for our actions going forward isn't an individual person-- it's the movement. I still greatly respect RBG for what she was able to do for LGBTQ+ equality and women's rights, and I'm very worried about who will take her place on the Supreme Court.

via @itstheglucoseguardian

I wish I had time to process this privately, especially while I'm observing the Jewish High Holy Days. May her memory be a blessing; I wish Americans could come together to mourn her and honor her legacy and have those much-needed conversations about whose feminism she symbolized. But we don't have the luxury of doing all this before starting to take action.

A few days before she died, Ginsburg told her granddaughter, "My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed." This, of course, reminds us how important our electoral work is to mobilize voters across America to elect a new president, but it's also worrying because Republicans will try to rush through a new nominee as fast as they can before the next administration. If we freeze or fall into cynicism instead of taking action, President Trump will have his way.

No matter where your political leanings lie, it must be frustrating that four years ago, Republicans and Democrats took the reverse of their current positions. The politics around this is messy and gives me a headache, but I know that rushing through RBG's replacement in a matter of weeks is a threat to our democracy.

So, here's what we can do to delay a supreme court nomination process until 2021. Feel free to share this with friends and family. We all need to process in our own ways, so some people aren't ready to take action right away, and that's fine. I'm sharing this now because I know a lot of people are ready to pick up the phone and honor RBG's memory through action, especially my friend who answered my check-in phone call with "I'm really worried, but I'm okay. Who can I call?"

1. What to say to your U.S. Senators

Look up your two U.S. Senator's office phone numbers. Call their DC office first, but the voicemail box is likely to be full. If that's the case, try a local office number.

"Hi, my name is _____ and I'm a constituent. My ZIP code is _____. Despite what the president says, you don't have an obligation to select a new Supreme Court justice without delay. Leave that for after the election. You DO have an obligation to pass a COVID-19 relief package that will help people desperately struggling in the pandemic, so will the Senator cosponsor the THRIVE Agenda, S. Res. 693? Thank you."

Additionally, you can send emails to their offices with the "contact" form on their websites. I expect their voicemail boxes to fill up very quickly.

Do I honestly expect my two Republican senators to break with their party on this vote? Eh, not really. BUT. If they are overwhelmed with messages from constituents telling them to delay the vote, it can convince them to be a little less vocal, a little more neutral. And that's a win, too, if we can have fewer Senators running around trying to rush this nomination.

If your Senators are Democrats and they're already vocal about waiting until after the election to proceed with the nomination process, still give them a call! It doesn't hurt to give Senators some positive reinforcement, and remind them to keep working on a COVID-19 deal.

2. Calling Republican Senators who are more likely to vote against President Trump's nominee (we would need 4 Republicans to vote with all the Dems in order to block a decision)

Do keep in mind that since we don't actually live in their states, they aren't required to listen to us. It would be more effective to ask people you know in Maine, Alaska, or Utah to call. But you can still call, I suppose, especially if you have some kind of connection to the state like having family there.

Susan Collins (Maine): (202)-224-2523 for DC, (207) 784-6969 for Lewiston

Lisa Murkowski (Alaska): (202)-224-6665 for DC, (907) 376-7665 for Mat-Su Valley

Mitt Romney (Utah): (202)-224-5251 for DC, (435)-522-7100 for St. George

"Hi, my name is _______. Despite what the President says, you don't have an obligation to select a new Supreme Court justice without delay. Please leave that for after the election. Even though I'm not from your state, all Americans are going to be affected by this decision, so please pass my message along to the Senator. Thank you."

3. Prepare for the election

The whole point of reminding the Senate to wait is that the 2020 Presidential election will decide the Supreme Court nominations for the next 4 years. So, make this election count. Check your voter registration if you're eligible, and encourage those around you to do the same.