FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
9/21/2020
Contact: Nick Voutsinos, Jobs With Justice, nick@jwj.org, 717-413-7613
Washington, D.C. — On Friday night, September 18, Ruth Bader Ginsburg — Supreme Court Justice and civil rights champion — died in her home. Jobs With Justice, alongside an entire nation, mourn the passing of Justice Ginsburg, a lasting pillar in the fight for true equality in the United States.
“Justice Ginsburg fought overwhelming odds to enshrine the doctrine that in our nation, women were entitled to equal treatment under law as men,” said Jobs With Justice Executive Director Erica Smiley. “She fought just as hard for working people of all races, colors, creeds, and genders. Through her landmark Supreme Court decision forcing Virginia Military Academy and The Citadel to admit women, her impressive work to protect women’s reproductive freedom, and her contribution to marriage equality and equal rights for LGBTQ people, Justice Ginsburg shattered glass ceilings for millions of Americans. And with her votes to stop the gutting of labor unions, voting rights, and regulations to protect our planet, Justice Ginsburg left a permanent mark on our political and economic democracy.”
To honor Justice Ginsburg’s legacy, to honor the women, LGBTQ people, working people, and all the Americans whose rights she upheld and protected, Jobs With Justice calls on Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to let the U.S. voters have a say in who should replace her on the Supreme Court. The next nominee must, like Justice Ginsburg, have a demonstrated commitment to gender, economic, and racial justice.
We call on candidate Joe Biden to honor his pledge to appoint a Black woman justice as president, and we urge him to select a bold, progressive nominee.
“With our democracy at stake, this is no time for stealth or a safe nominee,” said Jobs With Justice Senior Policy Analyst Adam Shah. “The American people should not have to read tea leaves to figure out whether a nominee will actually protect the right to abortion or will uphold the basic tenets of economic democracy, such as the right to healthcare and a fair wage, and a real right to form a union. We should not have to fear that a nominee might gut financial and environmental regulations at the behest of well-heeled lawyers representing billionaire corporations.”
With Justice Ginsburg’s passing, many voters are now at-risk of losing legal protections and rights. For this reason, her replacement on the Supreme Court must be a fundamental part of the upcoming presidential campaign. Jobs With Justice calls on moderators at each presidential debate to press the presidential and vice presidential candidates on issues pertaining to the court, such as abortion, voting rights, and the right to form a union.
Justice Ginsburg fought in the trenches for working people and their rights — time for us to fight in the trenches in her memory, and work towards nominating a replacement on the Supreme Court who will do nothing less.
To schedule an interview with Jobs With Justice policy analyst and resident SCOTUS expert Adam Shah, please email Nick Voutsinos at nick@jwj.org.
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Jobs With Justice is the country’s leading nonprofit in the fight for workplace and economic democracy. Comprising of a national network of local affiliates in nearly every state, Jobs With Justice brings together coalitions of unions, worker organizations, community groups, students, and faith institutions to win concrete improvements in people’s lives.
