US President Donald Trump announced today, Saturday, that he is "obligated" to name a new judge at the Supreme Court "without delay", after the death of its Dean of Judges Ruth Bader Ginsburg, at the age of 87.
Trump justified his announcement in a tweet that naming judges for this court is the "most important decision" for which a president is elected, at a time when Democrats are calling for this matter to be postponed until after the upcoming presidential elections on November 3.
The judge, who fought for the rights of women and minorities and for the environment, had been suffering from health problems for a few years and was hospitalized twice over the summer, while Democrats were closely monitoring her health, fearing that Donald Trump would quickly appoint a successor.
Statement from the President on the Passing of Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg pic.twitter.com/N2YkGVWLoF
- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 19, 2020
NPR Radio reported that the judge disclosed her last will to her granddaughter, Clara Spira, as she told her before her death, "My best wish is non-replacement as long as a new president does not take the oath."
Under the constitution, the president chooses his candidate and puts him before the Senate for approval.
Republican Senate President Mitch McConnell has already informed him that he will hold a vote even though he refused in 2016 to hold a hearing to a judge chosen by Barack Obama for the position, arguing that he was an election year.