The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the
nation's largest LGBT rights advocate, is calling on Senate leaders
to wait on filling the Supreme Court vacancy left by the death of
Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg until after voters have weighed
in.
Ginsburg died Friday at the age of 87
after a years-long battle with pancreatic cancer.
Known as “Notorious RBG” among
progressives, Ginsburg was
appointed to the bench by President Bill Clinton in 1993. During her
tenure, she championed LGBT rights.
(Related: LGBT
groups, Pete Buttigieg, Megan Rapinoe, Tim Cook mourn loss of Ruth
Bader Ginsburg.)
During President Barack Obama's last
year in office, Senate Leader Mitch McConnell blocked Obama's nominee
for the Supreme Court, saying that the voters needed to weigh in
first. Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, a conservative, suddenly
died on February 13, 2016, roughly eight-and-a-half months before the
general election.
In a statement, HRC President Alphonso
David said that the Senate and the White House must wait until after
Inauguration Day to proceed with a nominee.
“Rushing a far-right nominee through
a divisive, sham confirmation process before voters have spoken will
only undermine both the legislative and judicial branches, and cause
irreparable harm to our democracy,” David said. “Under no
circumstances should we take away voters' right to make this choice
by nominating, holding hearings for or confirming any judicial
nominee before Inauguration Day.”
“Every advancement the LGBTQ
community made at the Court over the last 20 years reflected Justice
Ginsburg’s influence. From Lawrence to Obergefell and
Bostock, the Court has been essential to creating a more equal
and fair America for LGBTQ people,” he said, referring to cases
that ended the criminalization of gay sex, struck down state laws and
constitutional amendments that defined marriage as a heterosexual
union, and expanded the definition of sex to include gender identity
and sexual orientation in federal law, respectively.
“But this fight is not ours alone. We
proudly stand alongside our partners in the racial justice,
reproductive rights, and immigrant rights movements and will fight
like hell because our lives depend on ensuring we protect Justice
Ginsburg’s legacy and install a true ally for freedom, justice and
equality on the Court. Only together, united, can we defeat this
president and his attempts to roll back our progress,” David said.
LGBT legal group GLAD echoed David's
sentiment in a tweet.
“As we mourn her passing and
recognize her extraordinary legacy, we must also honor her dying wish
that no move be made to replace her on the Court until the next
presidential term begins,” the group said. “We owe Justice
Ginsburg and our country that much, for her incredible contribution
to moving us closer to the nation of equals we aspire to be.”