Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died

By Fernando Alfonso III, Veronica Rocha, Meg Wagner, Melissa Macaya and Rob Picheta, CNN

Updated 8:10 a.m. ET, September 20, 2020
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9:23 p.m. ET, September 18, 2020

Ginsburg planned to retire under Hillary Clinton as first woman president

From CNN's Josiah Ryan

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, right, listens as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks on Wednesday, October 30, 2019, in Washington.
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, right, listens as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks on Wednesday, October 30, 2019, in Washington. Jacquelyn Martin/AP

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg planned to retire under Hillary Clinton if she was elected president, NPR legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg said this evening.

"She loved her job," said Totenberg. "She had planned, in fact, to retire and be replaced by a nominee of the first woman president because she really thought Hillary Clinton would be elected."

"Fate dealt her... the cards not that way and she just soldiered on," Totenberg added.

Totenberg went on to report that Ginsberg had expressed that wish in a dictated statement her granddaughter, Clara Spera, just days before her death.

"My most fervent wish is, that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed," Ginsburg said in the statement, according to Totenberg.

"She knew what was to come, that her death will have profound consequences for the court and the country," said Totenberg, speaking with CNN's anchor Anderson Cooper this evening.

9:13 p.m. ET, September 18, 2020

Trump finishes his rally with no mention of Ginsburg

From CNN's Allie Malloy 

President Donald Trump speaks during a "Great American Comeback" rally at Bemidji Regional Airport in Bemidji, Minnesota, on September 18.
President Donald Trump speaks during a "Great American Comeback" rally at Bemidji Regional Airport in Bemidji, Minnesota, on September 18. Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

President Trump wrapped his Minnesota rally after speaking for 114 minutes with no mention of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Trump did not appear to know that Ginsburg had died as the news broke after he had already taken the stage. 

The pool is staging under Air Force One now for a possible gaggle. 

9:15 p.m. ET, September 18, 2020

Ginsburg said she didn't want to be replaced on Supreme Court "until a new president is installed"

According to a statement obtained by NPR, Ruth Bader Ginsburg told her granddaughter just days before her death that her "most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed."

Ginsburg died surrounded by her family at her home in Washington, DC, the court said. A private interment service will be held at Arlington National Cemetery.

Ginsburg had suffered from five bouts of cancer, most recently a recurrence in early 2020 when a biopsy revealed lesions on her liver. She had said that chemotherapy was yielding "positive results" and that she was able to maintain an active daily routine.

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9:09 p.m. ET, September 18, 2020

Ginsburg's vacancy will quickly become political  — here's five things to watch

From CNN Political Director David Chalian

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's vacancy will quickly become political.

Here are five things to watch:

  1. A partisan fight. There will be a battle over President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pushing this through when Democrats are currently in a strong position to win the White House and the Senate in November. This battle — which will start even before there is a nominee —  will rile up the bases of both parties like never before.
  2. The Senate math. Are Republicans in lock step with moving ahead with replacement before election results are clear?  Particularly vulnerable senators like Susan Collins in Maine, Cory Gardner in Colorado and Martha McSally in Arizona. And what about Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, who has bucked Trump in the past? 
  3. Trump vs. Biden. Does this supplant coronavirus as the thing the election becomes about — at least for a few of the remaining weeks left — and does that help Trump pull closer to Biden?
  4. McConnell is on the ballot in Kentucky. Does his Democratic opponent, Amy McGrath, become an even bigger progressive focus now?  
  5. Beware the difference between the pre-election period and the lame duck session. For all the parsing of language — past and future — that will take place in the days ahead, be sure to pay attention to which senators say no hearings or vote should occur before the election vs. those who say the election results should dictate how the process moves forward.
8:59 p.m. ET, September 18, 2020

Nancy Pelosi says US must "safeguard" Ginsburg's "powerful legacy"

From CNN's Lauren Fox and Kevin Bohn 

Ron Sachs/Consolidated News Pictures/Getty Images
Ron Sachs/Consolidated News Pictures/Getty Images

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi hopes the Supreme Court justice that takes the seat of the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg will uphold her "commitment to equality, opportunity and justice for all," she said in a statement.

"The loss of Ruth Bader Ginsburg is devastating. Justice Ginsberg embodied justice, brilliance and goodness, and her passing is an incalculable loss for our democracy and for all who sacrifice and strive to build a better future for our children," Pelosi said. “Every family in America benefited from her brilliant legacy and courage. Over the course of her quarter century as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsberg became an icon, inspiring people around the world with her tenacity, towering intellect and devotion to the American promise of equality and opportunity for all."

Earlier this evening, one of Pelosi's staff members called for the flags at the US Capitol to be flown at half-staff in Ginsburg's honor.

9:05 p.m. ET, September 18, 2020

Following Ginsburg's death, McConnell says Trump's nominee will get a vote on the Senate floor

From CNN'sTed Barrett

Oliver Douliery/AFP/Getty Images
Oliver Douliery/AFP/Getty Images

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell released a statement following the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, saying President Trump's nominee to fill her seat "will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate."

"The Senate and the nation mourn the sudden passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the conclusion of her extraordinary American life," McConnell said in the statement.

He added: "President Trump’s nominee will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate."

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8:55 p.m. ET, September 18, 2020

White House flag has been lowered to half-staff following Ginsburg's death

From CNN's Kaitlan Collins and Jim Acosta 

CNN
CNN

The American flag at the top of the White House has been lowered to half-staff tonight following the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

8:50 p.m. ET, September 18, 2020

White House chief of staff calls Ginsburg "a trailblazer, a dedicated public servant"

White House chief of staff Mark Meadows shared his condolences over the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, calling her "a trailblazer, a dedicated public servant, and an inspiration to so many."

Read the tweet:

9:18 p.m. ET, September 18, 2020

Directors of "RBG" say they are "crushed" over Ginsburg's death

Shannon Finney/Getty Images
Shannon Finney/Getty Images

Betsy West and Julie Cohen, directors of the hit documentary "RBG," said Ruth Bader Ginsburg "earned a place in history for what she did to win equally for American women" following news of her passing today.

"Like so many Americans, we are crushed by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Even had she not become a Supreme Court Justice, Ginsburg earned a place in history for what she did to win equality for American women. When we asked her several years ago how she wanted to be remembered, she said with characteristic modesty, 'Just as someone who did whatever she could, with whatever limited talent she had, to move society along in the direction I would like it to be for my children and grandchildren,'" the filmmaking pair said in a statement.

"RBG" was nominated for Best Documentary at the Academy Awards in 2019.

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