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Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is once again facing down a fight with cancer. Ginsburg, 87, is no stranger to health issues, having survived multiple resurgences of the disease. The justice, who has developed a reputation for being tough in the face of adversity, has promised to continue her involvement with the court during her chemotherapy.
In a statement released to the press, Ginsberg confirmed she was undergoing chemo for the disease. According to the report, the chemo is having a positive effect, and she is in high spirits. The justice’s health remains a major concern during the tense political cycle of the 2020 election year. Should she need to leave the court for health reasons, President Donald Trump would be able to nominate a third Supreme Court justice.
This is hardly RBG’s first brush with poor health. She has battle off cancer numerous times. Ginsberg herself has poked fun at detractors who have claimed her death was imminent. In a now-famous anecdote, she claims an unspecified senator predicted she’d be dead within a year. A few months later, she was attending his funeral.
In spite of Ginsberg’s own jokes, Democrats in Washington are very fearful of her health declining. The Supreme Court has only four “liberal” justices, while five justices were nominated by conservative presidents. Chief Justice John Roberts occasionally sides with his more progressive colleagues. However, he’s just as likely to swing to the right as the left.
The court’s balance is on the line with the 2020 election. Should Donald Trump secure reelection in November, it’s quite likely the court will soon be dominated by conservative-appointed justices. The GOP has designs on repealing cases like Roe v. Wade, which secures abortion rights for US citizens. Other cases involving Second Amendment rights and free speech are also high on conservative’s list of preferred cases.
Meanwhile, a youthful progressive movement in the US has begun demanding for serious, structural change. Those voices are the loudest in the Black Lives Matter movement, a movement built around opposing traditional structures of institutionalized racism. The movement has called for the widespread defunding of police departments among other progressive goals.
Some conservatives take issue with the BLM movement and other left-wing progressive political groups. Many point to looting that occurred in early June, ostensibly in the name of the BLM movement. Target stores, among others, were targeted by chaotic looting of Samsung mobiles, TV sets and other high-ticket items.
