China News Service, Washington, September 19th, title: Justice Ginsberg's death, new variables in the US presidential election
China News Agency reporter Chen Mengtong
The 87-year-old US Supreme Court Justice Ginsberg died in Washington on the 18th.
While mourning this justice with a special historical status, a topic that cannot be avoided from all walks of life in the United States is: Who will replace the vacancy she left?
Who selected it?
When will it be filled?
There are only 45 days left before the US presidential election.
2020 was originally the "big year" of the American elections: not only must the president be elected, but all the seats in the House of Representatives and about one-third of the seats in the Senate will also be re-elected.
The vacant seat of justice in the Supreme Court means that the democratic and republican parties will simultaneously engage in power struggles and political games in the three power structures of executive, legislative, and judicial power within two months.
Data map: A group photo of the judges of the U.S. Supreme Court, with Justice Ruth Bud Ginsberg in the front row, one from the left.
Successor nomination battle
According to the U.S. Constitution, justices of the Supreme Court are nominated by the president and can only be appointed after a vote of the Senate of Congress.
The dispute over the nomination of the new justice started on the night of Ginsberg's death.
One hour after Ginsberg's obituary was issued, Senate Majority Leader McConnell issued a statement stating that "the Senate will vote on the candidate for justice nominated by President Trump."
In fact, a similar situation occurred in the United States four years ago.
In February 2016, the then Chief Justice Antonin Scalia passed away.
But the Republicans, who had a majority in the Senate at the time, refused to hold a hearing for the candidate for justice nominated by then President Obama on the grounds of the election year.
Now, the leader of the minority party in the Senate and Democrat Schumer also proposed that the new justice should be nominated by the new president.
He borrowed the language of the Republican Party to fight back at McConnell, saying, "The American people should have a say in choosing their next Supreme Court justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president."
The "Capitol Hill" believes that Ginsberg's death is bound to trigger an "explosive" debate in the Senate. The focus is whether to confirm the successor of the justices when election day is so close.
According to the National Public Radio (NPR) report, Ginsberg told her family a few days before her death that her "strongest wish" was that the next president would choose her successor.
US President Trump participated in a campaign rally in Minnesota on the evening of the 18th and did not learn of Ginsberg's death until late at night.
He commented that Ginsberg is "an extraordinary woman with an extraordinary life."
However, he did not comment on the nomination of a new justice.
On September 18, local time, people gathered in front of the U.S. Supreme Court to cherish the memory of the dead Supreme Court Justice Ginsberg.
The picture shows Ginsberg’s head being projected on the Supreme Court building.
Changes in the judicial landscape
Ginsberg is the second female justice in the history of the U.S. Supreme Court, and her historical status is self-evident.
She devoted her life to the women's equal rights movement and is regarded as a representative of the "liberal" in the judicial circle.
The departure of Ginsburg left only three justices on the U.S. Supreme Court with a liberal stance.
US media analysis believes that given the Republican Party’s majority in the Senate and Trump’s hiring tendencies, the Supreme Court may eventually have six “conservative” justices.
Since June this year, Chief Justice Roberts, regarded as a "conservative", has repeatedly sided with the "liberal" in rulings on immigration and homosexual equality cases.
American public opinion analysis believes that if one more "conservative" justice is added, Roberts' key "swingman" role in the case will be greatly weakened.
This is Trump's third chance to nominate a justice during his tenure.
Coincidentally, he just updated a list of candidates nominated by the Chief Justice just a week ago.
Trump said that he would use the late Justice Scalia as a reference standard for selection.
According to US media statistics, Trump has appointed nearly 300 grassroots and district judges during his tenure. If three Supreme Court justices are added, the US judicial system will show a tendency to "conservative" in the next few decades. Judicial resistance on controversial topics such as abortion, race, and gun control.
On September 18, local time, people gathered in front of the U.S. Supreme Court to remember the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ginsberg. Ginsberg devoted his life to fighting for, safeguarding and protecting women's rights.
Anchor of the New President's Constitution
Affected by the new crown pneumonia epidemic, some states in the United States have relaxed restrictions on mailing ballots this year, and some states even actively issue mailed ballots to registered voters.
Trump has repeatedly criticized this move for causing election fraud and once hinted at postponing the election.
American media analysis believes that the current elections between Trump and Biden are stalemate, and their approval ratings in many swing states are similar.
The final result of the general election is difficult to predict, and it is not ruled out that disputes and even lawsuits may arise in individual states due to issues such as mailing ballots or postal delivery.
As the U.S. Supreme Court has the right to interpret the U.S. Constitution, if there is a dispute in the presidential election, the nine justices are likely to become the "fixing hammer" of the U.S. election.
For example, after 36 days of controversy over the results of the US presidential election in 2000, it was the Supreme Court before the case was finalized.
The Washington Post pointed out that the Supreme Court has heard a series of disputes over voting rights between the Republican and Democratic parties.
If the Supreme Court has a majority of six "conservative" justices, it may affect the outcome of the ruling on the election dispute.
Obviously, Trump and the Republican Party have the initiative in the fight for the nomination of the justices.
After all, the Republican Party still controls the Senate, and the White House's list of candidates for justice is already in hand.
But time may become the biggest challenge for Republicans.
According to statistics, since 1975, the average number of days required for the U.S. Senate to vote for the nomination of a justice is 71 days.
Since Ginsberg, the shortest nomination cycle also takes 62 days.
The selection of Supreme Court justices will pave the way for the 2020 US general election.
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