[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 172 (Friday, October 2, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E924]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNITION OF THE SERVICE AND LEGACY OF JUSTICE RUTH BADER GINSBURG

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                           HON. ANDRE CARSON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 2, 2020

  Mr. CARSON of Indiana. Madam Speaker, I rise today to join my 
colleagues in recognizing the lifetime of service and the legacy of 
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
  ``Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that 
will lead others to join you.'' This insight came from the late 
Honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg and has never been more applicable than 
today. The Notorious RBG was a fighter for all and a defender of rights 
until the very end, showing us all the true definition of what it means 
to be a great leader. Throughout her career she fought to extend 
fairness and protections for countless marginalized groups in this 
country.
  As a father to young girl and a passionate defender of women's 
rights, I stand before you to reflect on the legacy that Justice 
Ginsburg has left on all generations today, and in the years to come. 
In 1993, Justice Ginsburg was appointed to the Supreme Court with 
unanimous support from the Senate and became only the second woman ever 
to serve on the highest court in our land. She brought both passion and 
brilliance to her decisions, always with the best interests of 
Americans on her mind while upholding our Constitution.
  We have a duty to honor Justice Ginsburg by continuing her fight to 
advance the progress she tirelessly worked for during her entire 
career. In a time when my constituents and fellow Americans are 
urgently voicing their need for unity and fairness, we must demand the 
very things Justice Ginsburg fought for so fiercely: equal health care, 
reproductive rights, equal rights, LGBTQ rights, workers' rights, 
voting rights, civil rights, and much more.
  So much is at stake with the Supreme Court vacancy her passing has 
created. The Supreme Court is already scheduled to hear arguments the 
week after the election on the Trump Administration's reckless push to 
destroy the Affordable Care Act (ACA). That means, in the middle of 
this unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, which has killed more than 
200,000 Americans, the President and his allies are trying to pack the 
Supreme Court to take away the health care of millions of Americans. 
This president has promised that his Supreme Court nominee will 
dismantle the ACA, so we must take him at his word.
  President Trump and Senate Republicans are ignoring the dying wishes 
of Justice Ginsburg, the opinion of most Americans, and years of 
precedent in a desperate bid to pack the courts to rubberstamp their 
reckless agenda. This is an insult to our Democracy and a threat to 
every American. There should be no consideration of a replacement for 
Justice Ginsburg before the next president is sworn in.
  We must act now, after Justice Ginsburg's passing, but before a new 
justice is appointed to roll back her legacy and our rights. We must 
take our shared grief and use it as turning point, drawing on her 
example as a courageous inspiration for us to all rise up and make her 
proud. We must fight for the rights of those who have been ignored or 
forgotten for too long. Justice Ginsburg fought and worked hard until 
the very end, showing us all that when love for Country and 
Constitution runs deep, there is no denying justice.
  I urge my Senate Colleagues to honor both her and the American 
people's wishes.

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