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For Immediate Release
September, 18 2020, 12:00am EDT
Contact:
Email:,press@civilrights.org,Phone: (202) 869-0398
The Leadership Conference Statement on the Passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
"Under no circumstances should the Senate consider a replacement for Justice Ginsburg until after inauguration."
WASHINGTON
Vanita Gupta, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement on the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman ever to serve on the nation's highest court:
"Justice Ginsburg was a principled, dignified defender of justice for all, and her legacy will long be remembered. She dedicated her entire career, on and off the Court, to protecting rights for women and LGBTQ individuals, and advancing justice for millions of people in America. Her wisdom served to remind us that the Supreme Court belonged to all of us, not to any party or politician. Her rulings were the embodiment of those words etched on the building in which she served - equal justice under law. Freedom has lost a stalwart champion. We join the nation in grieving this tremendous loss and extend our condolences to her family and loved ones.
"Under no circumstances should the Senate consider a replacement for Justice Ginsburg until after inauguration. People are already voting in an election where the presidency and Congress hang in the balance. Majority Leader McConnell left Justice Scalia's seat open for more than a year because the vacancy occurred nine months before the general election. If Trump and McConnell have any decency and self-respect, they will honor Justice Ginsburg's final request: 'My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.'
"It would be an insult to her legacy for this president to select a justice he promises will assail our rights and undermine, upend, and unravel our democratic norms for generations. We demand a Supreme Court that is just and fair. We cannot let Trump get a third justice who will jeopardize racial justice, health care access, and so many more issues. Our fundamental rights are at risk. To honor Justice Ginsburg's legacy, we need our Court to recognize and protect the rights of all of us."
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the civil and human rights of all persons in the United States. Through advocacy and outreach to targeted constituencies, The Leadership Conference works toward the goal of a more open and just society - an America as good as its ideals.
(202) 466-3311LATEST NEWS
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Pope Leo XIV used his Palm Sunday sermon to take what appears to be a shot at US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
In his sermon, excerpts of which he published on social media, the pope emphasized Christian teachings against violence while criticizing anyone who would invoke Jesus Christ to justify a war.
"This is our God: Jesus, King of Peace, who rejects war, whom no one can use to justify war," Pope Leo said. "He does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them."
The pope also encouraged followers to "raise our prayers to the Prince of Peace so that he may support people wounded by war and open concrete paths of reconciliation and peace."
While speaking at the Pentagon last week, Hegseth directly invoked Jesus when discussing the Trump administration's unprovoked and unconstitutional war with Iran.
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The Washington Post on Saturday reported that the Pentagon is preparing for "weeks" of ground operations in Iran, which for the last month has disrupted global energy markets by shutting down the Strait of Hormuz in response to aerial assaults by the US and Israel.
The Post's sources revealed that "any potential ground operation would fall short of a full-scale invasion and could instead involve raids by a mixture of Special Operations forces and conventional infantry troops" that could be used to seize Kharg Island, a key Iranian oil export hub, or to search out and destroy weapons systems that could be used by the Iranians to target ships along the strait.
Michael Eisenstadt, director of the Military and Security Studies Program at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told the Post that taking over Kharg Island would be a highly risky operation for American troops, even if initially successful.
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In an analysis published Sunday, Freedman declared Trump had run "out of options" for victory, as there have been no signs of the Iranian regime crumbling due to US-Israeli attacks.
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In a Times article that drew particular ire, reporter Jeremy Peters questioned whether nationwide events that drew an estimated 8 million people to the streets "would be enough to influence the course of the nation’s politics."
"Can the protests harness that energy and turn it into victories in the November midterm elections?" Peters asked rhetorically. "How can they avoid a primal scream that fades into a whimper?"
Journalist and author Mark Harris called Peters' take on the protests "predictable" and said it was framed so that the protests would appear insignificant no matter how many people turned out.
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Mark Jacob, former metro editor at the Chicago Tribune, also took a hatchet to Peters' analysis.
"The NY Times saves its harshest skepticism for progressives," he wrote. "Instead of being impressed by 3,000-plus coordinated protests, NYT dismisses the value of 'hitting a number' and asks if No Kings will be 'a primal scream that fades into a whimper.' F off, NY Times. We'll defeat fascism without you."
The Media and Democracy Project slammed the Times for putting Peters' analysis of the protests on its front page while burying straight news coverage of the events on page A18.
"NYT editors CHOSE that Jeremy Peters's opinions would frame the No Kings demonstrations and pro-democracy movement to millions of NYT readers," the group commented.
Joe Adalian, west coast editor for New York Mag's Vulture, criticized a Times report on the No Kings demonstrations that quoted a "skeptic" of the protests without noting that said skeptic was the chairman of the Ole Miss College Republicans.
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