Justice Ginsberg’s death, the Supreme Court of the United States may enter a conservative era
■ Observer
The death of Liberal Justice Ginsberg is a microcosm of a turning point in the United States.
The U.S. Supreme Court announced on September 18, local time, that Justice Ruth Ginsberg of the U.S. Supreme Court had passed away at the age of 87.
Ginsberg’s death adds uncertainty to the election
Ginsberg, the legendary justice, died before the United States was in a highly variable election, adding more uncertainty to this election.
Twenty years ago, the presidential dispute between Bush Jr. and Gore was finally decided by the Supreme Court. Ginsberg believed that the Supreme Court was like a circus, and the 2020 election may still require a Supreme Court ruling.
But Ginsberg can no longer witness history.
For Trump, Ginsberg's death provided himself with an opportunity to nominate a justice and change the pattern of the Supreme Court.
More importantly, the nomination and hearings may become the topic of the general election, shifting the pressure on the economy and epidemic prevention and control he faces.
In an era of political turmoil, Ginsberg’s death made it difficult for the Supreme Court of the United States to enjoy its own cleansing and was forced to be involved.
The nine justices of the Supreme Court are called the "nine", and they play the role of "elders" in the design of the American political system.
After Justice Marshall, the Supreme Court has played the role of interpreter of the US Constitution, and its decisions can affect the lives of individual citizens.
For example, on issues such as abortion, gun ownership, immigration, and homosexuality, the Supreme Court has played the role of a buffer, maintaining a basic balance between conservatives and liberals.
The president can nominate candidates for justice, in fact, indirectly influence and shape the political orientation of the Supreme Court.
The Republican president will of course nominate conservative justices, and in turn, the Democratic president will nominate liberal justices.
Ginsberg was the justice nominated by Democratic President Clinton in 1993. It took only 49 days from nomination to final appointment, compared with 67 days since 1975.
In other words, after Ginsberg's death, the justice nominated by Trump may take office before the election.
During Trump's first term, he was given three chances to nominate justices. It should be said that such luck is quite good.
Trump team has begun to select candidates for justice
After Ginsberg's death, Trump expressed condolences and praised his contributions, but according to reports, the Trump team has worked overtime to select candidates for justice in order to fight for the fastest nomination.
Of course, the legal team in the White House may be "moment" to prepare for this opportunity to come. After Trump took office, he has been "touting" the positions of federal court judges, including justices.
Judge Amy Barrett of the Seventh Court of the Federal Court is the most powerful competitor. She has a close relationship with the White House legal team. When she took office as a circuit court judge in 2017, the White House Legal Counsel's Office had already conducted relevant reviews.
After the president is nominated, a Senate hearing is required.
It is worth noting that in a statement issued after Ginsburg’s death, Senate Republican leader McConnell expressed his intention to support Trump’s nomination of the justices. He believes that the Senate has not passed the opposition presidential nomination during the general election season for 20 years. The justices.
The implication is that the Republican-majority Senate will give Trump enough support.
The Trump administration has also claimed that it will nominate candidates for justice next week.
Calculated in this way, Ginsberg’s successor needs a "rocket" in place to take office before the general election.
There are two things to watch here.
One is whether the candidate nominated by Trump will become the focus of controversy.
The candidate for the justice nominated by Trump has been investigated by the Democratic Party and the media.
The nomination of the justices will become the focus of the debate before the vote, which can divert people's attention to a certain extent and add a new "program" to the 2020 election debate.
Second, after taking office, the justices may decide whether Trump or Biden becomes the president of the United States.
If a justice nominated by the president quickly decides on the results of the presidential election, this is also an American political landscape.
As a liberal, Ginsberg was also a symbolic justice when he was in office.
At present, the conservatives and liberals in the US Supreme Court are already 5 to 4. After Ginsburg, whether the balance between conservative and liberal will be broken is worthy of attention.
Although the justices will be labeled as "conservative" and "liberal", they are less partisan.
The powers of the two parties have changed, but the life system requires the justices to work together for a long time.
Therefore, the justices nominated by Trump may not necessarily favor Trump.
But after Ginsberg, the US Supreme Court may enter a conservative era.
From the perspective of the American political cycle, since the 2016 election, the United States has entered a conservative era, and Trump's nomination of three justices during his tenure has further strengthened the political conservative tendency.
Perhaps Ginsberg is struggling with fate and is also waiting for the result of the general election, waiting for the Democratic president to take office, and waiting for a liberal justice to take over.
However, her death is also the epitome of a turning point in the era.
□Sun Xingjie (International Relations Scholar)