Ceremonies Honoring Late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Marred By Partisanship

The aftermath of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death on Friday has been met with overt partisanship. A nonbinding resolution honoring Ginsburg failed to pass the Senate Tuesday when Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, blocked it over the inclusion of her dying wish.

Ginsburg had told her granddaughter, “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed,” NPR reported.

Senate Republicans, who are planning to move forward with her replacement before the November election, objected to the inclusion of the language.

“This endeavor started with a resolution that the majority put forward that was intended to be a bipartisan resolution commemorating the life and service of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg,” Cruz said. “Unfortunately the Democratic leader has put forth an amendment to turn that bipartisan resolution into a partisan resolution.”

Senate Democrats responded by invoking a procedural rule preventing committees from meeting more than two hours after the Senate session begins, canceling a planned Senate Intelligence Committee hearing.

Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., opted not to invoke the rule on Wednesday as the day’s meetings had been sought by his coalition, but can be expected to cause continued disruptions going forward.

“We invoked the two-hour rule because we can't have business as usual when Republicans are destroying the institution as they have done," Schumer said.

The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., called the move a “temper tantrum” and asked on the floor of the Senate that Schumer give the unanimous consent required for the meeting to go forward. Schumer refused.

Donald Trump has said he will announce his shortlist of candidates this weekend. He is expected to select Amy Coney Barret, an appellate judge notable for her stances against the Affordable Care Act and abortion as well as connections to a religious group practicing patriarchal family structures and asking lifetime loyalty oaths of its members.

Ceremonies honoring Ginsburg were further disrupted when Trump visited her remains, which are currently resting in front of the supreme court. He was met with boos and chanting of “vote him out” and “honor her wish.”

Trump has alleged without evidence Monday in an interview with Fox that Ginsburg’s dying wish had been made up, allegations that quickly began circulating on social media afterward.

“I don’t know that she said that, or if that was written out by Adam Schiff, and Schumer and Pelosi. … That came out of the wind. It sounds so beautiful, but that sounds like a Schumer deal, or maybe Pelosi or Shifty Schiff,” he said.

The quote has been confirmed by Ginsburg’s granddaughter and the reporter who originally published it, Nina Totenberg, who says she verified it with others in the room including Ginsburg’s doctor.