What the Cult of Ruth Bader Ginsburg Got Wrong

Mother Jones ^ | November 24th 2018 | STEPHANIE MENCIMER

[Ennis85]

On the Basis of Sex, a feature film on the pioneering legal work of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, is due to roll out in theaters nationwide on Christmas Day. With Felicity Jones’ portrayal of Ginsburg as a hot, young ACLU lawyer, the canonization of “Notorious RGB” will be officially complete. The 85-year-old justice’s celebrity status as a badass feminist has never been higher. CNN, which earlier this year produced a Ginsburg documentary titled RBG, has declared her the “face of the resistance” against President Donald Trump’s agenda, and a new Ginsburg biography was published in October to coincide with the 25th anniversary of her confirmation. A retail store opened recently in Washington DC, stocked almost exclusively with RBG merch: yoga mats, water bottles, T-shirts, action figures, magnets, and pins designed to look like Ginsburg’s lace “dissent collar.” The store is called The Outrage.

But no amount of swag or hagiography can obscure the fact that, while Ginsburg is responsible for a great number of landmark legal decisions, her legacy may be sorely tarnished by one truly terrible one: refusing to retire when President Barack Obama could have named her replacement. That decision came into stark relief this month when Ginsburg fell and broke three ribs—and half of the nation took a collective gasp. Women took to Twitter to offer the justice a rib.

Irin Carmon, co-author of Ginsburg fan-book The Notorious RBG, and who is as responsible as anyone else for the contemporary Cult of Ginsburg, encouraged devotees not to freak out. Their hero is resilient, indestructible even, Carmon insisted. Ginsburg has survived cancer—twice!—and still has never missed a day on the bench. “I am not RBG’s doctor, but I am one of her biographers, here to testify to her resilience,” Carmon wrote in The Cut. To reinforce

[Intolerant in NJ]

Hope Justice Roberts get to see it - apparently he’s not as familiar with some of his judges as he should be.....

[ZULU]

Couldn’t POSSIBLY insult the memory of such an OUTSTANDING libturd with a CONSERVATIVE Judge.

Narrative in waiting.

[Ransomed]

Imagine what weekly tests she is getting.

Freegards

[gogeo]

My dog will probably outlive Hillary.

[smvoice]

These kind of people NEVER die. Bot even Satan wants their putrid smell stinking up his joint

[lgjhn23]

“....Heck, she’ll probably outlive Hillary....”
I’d like to see both of these evil skanks gone. I have no preference to which one goes first. There will be no tears shed in this household over either one.
Both are being kept alive by the best healthcare in the entire world. Healthcare that the “unwashed masses” will never have. Put em both on obamacare and they’d probably be dead in a week.

[Jeff Chandler]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/fb-5493739/List-Hillary-Clintons-trips-falls-public.html

[montag813]

Her replacement will be nominated, voted upon and settled in before the Republican National Convention. And she won’t be the only one. Mark my words.

Um, Lindsay Graham, who is taking over Judiciary, said that NO nominees named in 2020 will be even voted upon, let alone seated in that entire election year. Either The Repulsive RBG dies in 2019, or we will have to hold our breath until Election Day 2020.

[Cowboy Bob]

If RBG goes, Trump doesn’t have to be in a hurry to replace her. It will be a 5-3 Court. Just need to keep Roberts in line.

[morphing libertarian]

the movie making her a saint will be out soon

[Chode]

It’s not considered polite to point this out, but Ginsburg has been falling asleep on the bench during oral arguments for years. Back in 2006, she dozed off during a redistricting argument for a good 15 minutes—long enough for the courtroom artist to sketch her in repose. The Washington Post’s Dana Milbank wrote, “It’s lucky for Ginsburg that the Supreme Court has so far refused to allow television in the courtroom, for her visit to the land of nod would have found its way onto late-night shows.”

i'm waiting for a lawyer to point out to the court that "I have ONE shot at this and would appreciate it if somebody would wake her up!"

[morphing libertarian]

This is the fault of Roberts for not having her removed.

[Chode]

100%

[2ndDivisionVet]

One thing I’ve noticed since John McCain’s funeral is that Lindsey can now be talked to. Just have a couple of Southern senators pull him aside and explain to him the dangers of being an “out” homosexual politician in the Bible belt. As the late Don Rickles as “Sergeant Crapgame” said to Telly Savalas as “Sergeant Big Joe” in Kelly’s Heroes about the German tank commander blocking their way to the bank and the gold within: Crapgame:
Try making a DEAL!

Big Joe:
What kind of DEAL?

Crapgame:
A DEAL, deal! Maybe he’s a Republican. You know, “Business is business.”

[gcparent]

Luv the video when they threw Hillary in the back of the car.

[gcparent]

I boycotted Fox and instead listen to Rush on the radio. Recently, Rush said that millinials refuse to listen to anyone more than 5 years older than themselves. The only exception is RBG. She is the only old person they revere. Once again Rush is right.

[melsec]

“The face of the resistance” well that face has definitely seen some resistance maybe from meeting the tear end of a bus.

[Chipper]

The Cult of Personality. All of this RBG crap is so much evidence of media manipulation, and the power of marketing.

[odawg]

Maybe it is time for someone to check up on her, at her house, to see if she is in fact there, or is sentient and able to do her job.

[NonValueAdded]

has declared her the “face of the resistance” against President Donald Trump’s agenda

Ahem. Hey! Chief Justice Roberts! Should a Supreme Court Justice EVER be ruling on the basis of policy differences? Thought that wasn't in your purview.

CJR, you may be technically correct that a SCJ is not beholden to the President who nominated them, the most recent example is the "Trump" judge who let Acosta back in the White House. But you must concede that there are activist judges, liberal judges, conservative judges, strict constructionists ... I'll bet you could make a list. Try this, CJR: after you make that list, put the name of the President who appointed them next to their name.

What you have done, Chief Justice Roberts, is to repeat the common mistake of interpreting President Trump's remarks literally. Hey, he wasn't talking to YOU, he was talking to US. And we knew EXACTLY what he meant.

The President who made the appointment is a good (albeit not perfect) indicator of whether or not a judge will be wont to legislate from the bench. We see it all the time in articles and even posts on forums, blogs, etc. "Appointed by President ____" is almost always present in the text. Name the President and we know from which philosophy came the ruling. And, yeah, it's not supposed to be that way. BUT IT IS.