Bernie, on RBG and a SCOTUS Vote

I emailed my honorable senator the other day. Although I do t think he'd be a good president, he's a kick ass senator. Here it is, from either his or an aide's hand:

Dear  Brian:

Thank you for contacting me regarding the passing of the Honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the future of the Supreme Court. The passing of Justice Ginsburg is a tremendous loss to our country. She was an extraordinary champion of justice and equal rights, and will be remembered as one of the great justices in modern American history. 

As you know, we have already heard from the Senate Majority Leader that he has decided to go against Justice Ginsburg’s dying wishes – and violate his own precedents – in order to bring a judge nominated by President Trump to the floor of the United States Senate. This is in direct contradiction of his statement in 2016, when he said Supreme Court nominees should not be voted on during a presidential election year, blocked Merrick Garland’s nomination to the Court for nearly a full year, and later threatened to hold the seat open permanently if he did not like the results of the 2016 election. 

The Supreme Court is the most important judicial body in the country. The decisions it reaches, especially on 5-4 votes, have a profound impact on all Americans, on our environment, and on our way of life. In fact, the very week after the election, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a case to overturn the Affordable Care Act in its entirety, which would throw millions of people off their health insurance in the middle of a pandemic.

It is appalling that while the House of Representatives passed another COVID-19 relief package back in May, the Senate has not done anything and is instead prepared to rush through a Supreme Court nomination in a few short weeks. The Senate must respond to the needs of struggling working families right now. 

The right thing to do here is clear. The Senate Majority Leader knows it, and many members of the majority have stated it clearer than I could. We should let the voters decide.

Thank you again for contacting me, and please feel free to stay in touch about this or any other subject of interest to you. For up-to-date information on what I am working on, please sign-up for my e-newsletter, the Bernie Buzz, at http://sanders.senate.gov/buzz/.

Sincerely,

BERNARD SANDERS
United States Senator