Joe Biden reacted to the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg with sorrow and said a replacement should not be chosen until after the election.
She was “not only a giant in the legal profession, but a beloved figure. And my heart goes out to all those who cared for her and care about her. She practiced the highest American ideals as a justice,” the former vice president and Democratic presidential nominee said after landing in Delaware from a campaign stop in Minnesota earlier in the day.
“There is no doubt, let me be clear, that the voters should pick the president, and the president should pick the justice for the Senate to consider. This was the position the Republican Senate took in 2016 when there were almost 10 months to go before the election. That’s the position the United States Senate must take today,” Biden said.
“The election is only 46 days off,” Biden added. “I think the fastest justice ever confirmed was 47 days, and the average is closer to 70 days. And so, we should do this with full consideration. And that is my hope and expectation of what will happen.”
Ginsburg, 87, died on Friday at her home in Washington after a long battle with cancer.
NPR reported that Ginsburg’s dying wish, dictated to granddaughter Clara Spera, was: “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.”
Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer echoed those wishes in a statement on Ginsburg’s passing on Friday.
“The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court justice,” Schumer said. “Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell indicated that he will advance a Trump nominee despite the impending election.
“President Trump’s nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate,” McConnell said in a Friday statement.
McConnell blocked former President Barack Obama’s nomination of Judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court in 2016 following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, arguing that a replacement should not be named until after the election.
The Democratic vice presidential nominee, California Sen. Kamala Harris, sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, which conducts hearings on Supreme Court nominees. Harris gained national notoriety for her sharp exchanges with Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing in 2018.
Biden campaign officials, advisers, and family members also mourned Ginsburg’s death and expressed a renewed commitment to elect Biden.
Senior Biden adviser Greg Schultz dubbed the 2020 election the most important one ever.
THIS ELECTION IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION EVER.
— Greg Schultz (@schultzohio) September 18, 2020
Biden’s granddaughter Naomi Biden thanked Ginsburg.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg fought harder than most of us know how.
If we muster 1/100 of her grit and absolute belief that one person can change the world, we will finish the job.
Thank you, RBG. From a young idealistic girl who went to law school wanting to be you when she grew up.
— Naomi Biden (@NaomiBiden) September 19, 2020
Deputy Biden campaign manager Rufus Gifford committed not to sleep in order to elect Biden.
I was able to get married because of leaders like RBG.
I will not sleep for the next 45 days.
Everything is on the line.
— Rufus Gifford (@rufusgifford) September 19, 2020
