Tribute & Action: The Notorious RBG

Hey Teen Resisters!
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First, we are going to acknowledge the obvious: this week has been absolutely freaking insane. From the appalling yet on-brand revelation that Trump only paid $750 in income taxes in 2017 to a chaotic mess of a debate night to POTUS, FLOTUS, and Senate COVID-19 diagnoses (among others), headlines that might have stuck in the news for weeks have been replaced by another in hours. All with the election(!!!!) coming up in a month.
That said, it's vital that we take a moment to honor the passing of someone who was a superhero and role model to many of us: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, AKA the Notorious RBG. We ask that all of you take a moment to think about how different our lives and world would have been without her nation-shaping strength. 

Peace & power,
TR

what went down

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, cultural icon and powerhouse liberal Supreme Court justice, passed away on September 18th at the age of 87 due to complications of pancreatic cancer. 

Early on in her career, she served as a litigator and director of the ACLU’s Women’s Rights Project. Through brilliant arguments, careful methodology, and era-defying insight, she gradually exposed and fought sexism fundamental in America's legal framework, shaping landmark case after landmark case in the fight for women’s rights. She often targeted differential treatment of men in laws as well as that of women, working to ensure that people of all genders had the chance to choose who and what they wanted to be in society—a recognition of and attempt to fight toxic masculinity before the term was popularized. 

After being appointed by Bill Clinton to the Supreme Court in 1993, she served a total of 27 years on the bench, making her the second woman and the first Jewish woman to sit on the highest court in the land. Although she has been criticized by liberals for her positions on a few issues—indigenous rights, for example—her decisions placed her, on the whole, at the Court’s far left. Especially towards the end of her tenure, her searing dissents (see Burwell v. Hobby Lobby) reinforced her position as a feminist rockstar.

RBG’s dying wish was that no one be appointed to fill her vacancy until a new president was installed. In blatant disrespect of her legacy, President Trump and Senate Republicans pledged just hours after her death to move forward in filling the seat.

GOP Republicans’ decision is especially heinous given how they acted after Justice Scalia’s death in February 2016. After Obama nominated a replacement in March 2016, Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell refused to even hold a vote, allowing Trump to fill the vacancy with a conservative justice in 2017 instead. Obama wasn’t given the opportunity to fill the empty seat in March 2016 because it was “too close” to the election, yet it’s not too close for Trump to do it in September 2020? The hypocrisy painfully evident in this reasoning has done little to dissuade Senate Republicans from pushing forward regardless. (A note: 3 Senate Republicans, in addition to President Trump and FLOTUS Melania Trump, have recently been diagnosed with the coronavirus. This disruption could potentially slow or stall the confirmation process.)

What does this mean for SCOTUS moving forward? 
In addition to naming Scalia’s replacement in 2016, Trump also nominated a justice to fill Kennedy’s vacancy in 2018. Trump has nominated the uberconservative Amy Coney Barrett, a 48-year-old woman, to fill RBG’s vacancy. If she is confirmed, the Supreme Court will have a 6-3 conservative majority, an imbalance so severe that might not equalize in our lifetimes. Chief Justice John Roberts votes with the liberal contingent of the Court not infrequently, and Justice Gorsuch has sided with liberals in a few key cases recently, ruling that about half of the land in Oklahoma belongs to a Native American reservation and extending civil rights protections to LBGTQI+ employees nationwide. But a conservative tilt will still unequivocally define the room.
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Minority groups will likely be disadvantaged as a result. ObamaCare, LGBTQI+ rights, the right to choose centered in Roe v. Wade, and more are all in grave danger. At the same time that it’s beautiful to see how Ruth Bader Ginsburg has played such a pivotal role in America‘s  progression into modern thought, it’s devastating to see how disproportionately we relied on one woman battling through cancer to uphold basic human rights. Her life's work will ​continue through the millions she inspired and empowered, even if she's not here to see it. Rest In Peace to the Notorious RBG, a leader who exemplified grit; vision; empathy; and dignity. She saw America's legal system not for what it was, but for what it could be.

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“Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”  - RBG

“People ask me sometimes… ‘When will there be enough women on the court?’ And my answer is: ‘when there are nine.’” - RBG

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HONOR RBG'S LEGACY?

• Call and/or email your senator to urge them not to confirm Amy Coney Barrett. You can use the following script or write one yourself:
  • ​​ “Hello, my name is ___ and I am from ____. I am calling to urge you to please vote ‘no’ on Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation. Her confirmation to the Supreme Court could result in Court decisions that negatively impact the right to an abortion, gun control, the rights of immigrants, and attempts at campaign finance reform, among other issues. I am concerned that she will take away my human rights, and I will be sure to vote against the senators who vote to confirm her to the Court.”
• If your senator votes to confirm Ms. Barrett, vote them out and encourage others to the same. You can check your voter registration status here. If you’re not registered, a list of voter registration deadlines by state is available here. If you plan to vote by absentee ballot (a.k.a. mail-in voting) you can find absentee ballot rules by state here. Vote as early as possible: the mail may be slowed down. If you plan to vote in-person, you can find a polling place in your state here. If possible, bring a state ID and proof of registration, even if your state doesn’t require it. 

If you plan to help get out the vote, here are some starting points: 

• Work with Teens Elect to phonebank for progressive senate candidates.
• Write letters to unlikely voters with Vote Forward.
• Volunteer with Rock the Vote to increase youth voter turnout. 
• Textbank with 2020 Victory.​

And, finally, in lieu of our puppy video, something to make you smile.

RBG working out with Stephen Colbert