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OPINION

Do this justice some justice

The following reflects the majority opinion of the editorial board.

Ruth died.

We’re talking about Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Supreme Court Justice who fought her entire career for women's rights and social justice. 

Why does this matter?

Well, if President Trump is able to appoint another justice to the Supreme Court before the end of his term, he would effectively swing the jury to be conservative for years after his presidency and probably for the rest of his life.

So, why wouldn’t he be able to fill the seat before the election? Why are we even talking about this?

Mitch McConnell, the majority leader of the Senate, is a huge hypocrite, and we care about the rights Ginsburg advocated for — that’s why.

When a justice seat became available in February 2016 after the death of Antonin Scalia, who continuously stonewalled the process for nine months so that a new justice wouldn’t be appointed until after President Obama was out of office? Oh, right —Mitch McConnell.

And which senator said the following on the day of Scalia’s death? “The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court Justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president." That’s right — Mitch McConnell.

And who wants to try and push it through as fast as possible so they can fill the seat with a conservative judge before the election? Oh yes, yes — Mitch McConnell. 

So, this is super frustrating, right? Because not only is this whole process totally bogus, but it’s also just not a cool move — it’s not right, and it’s for damn sure not what Ruth would have wanted.

The day the news of her death broke, there were hundreds of tweets and kind words from politicians in both political parties, declaring their respect and admiration for all this woman has done for America. 

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But this hypocrisy and opposition to what she stood for is blatant disrespect.

We don’t care if we sound like a broken record. Your individual actions are important, and you need to care about stuff beyond posting a social media graphic about it on your story.

We’re talking to you, Miami Panhellenic women. Register to vote, ladies, call your senators and make some real noise because this is going to affect you.

That also goes for everyone who doesn’t want to see Roe v. Wade challenged and possibly overturned. Or Obergefell v. Hodges, or any other cases that will set a precedent for negative change among minority and suppressed groups. 

And even if you do want to see a conservative judge installed, you should want to see integrity from your representatives in power. Do you really want such blatant hypocrisy from the people who say they represent you? If democracy means anything to you, then you should want our government to approach this situation the same way they did in 2016 — give the voters a say.

We get that social media is cool for raising awareness and showing support. But if you are not registered to vote and you’re not contacting politicians or signing petitions, then what are you supporting and raising awareness for?

Do not let the hurt over Ruth’s death live and die on social media. 

She made change for us on a real level. Women can have credit cards without having a man co-sign it because of her. 

That might seem small to you, but the list of fights she has put up for us is longer than the line at Spring Street Treats on a Friday.  

We know it’s just been one thing after another this year — we’ve written about pretty much all of them — but don’t let this be the nail in the coffin of you not caring.

Let this be the spark that re-ignites the fire in you that was fading out. 

Ruth was a warrior for change. Let a piece of her live on in you by registering to vote, actually voting, staying informed, staying passionate and staying on the side of what you believe is right. 

This justice deserves some of her own. 

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