Urge President and U.S. Senate to Respect RBG’s Dying Wish of Installing New Justice After Next President Takes Office

SACRAMENTO – California Teachers Association President E. Toby Boyd issued the following statement today as educators mourn the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg after her long and courageous battle with cancer.

“Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a tireless warrior for justice and equality for all. We mourn the loss of this giant of the Supreme Court, who inspires educators’ crusade for real and enduring change that, in her words, ‘happens one step at a time.’ Her story is a testament to her perseverance and the promise this country can still hold for millions of young girls and women. Entering Harvard Law School at a time when women even being there was seen as an affront by many in that male-dominated institution was among the first bold and courageous steps she would take throughout her lifetime in the name of justice and equality.

“We will always be grateful for Justice Ginsburg’s voice that gave the court a conscience and a consciousness in many cases involving gender equality, and racial and social justice. Her scathing dissent in the case of Ledbetter v. Goodyear, that tackled women’s equal pay rights in the workplace, led to the monumental Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the first legislation that President Barack Obama signed into law. Two years ago, she again stood with the Constitution, with decades of precedent, and with working men and women when she dissented in the Janus v. AFSCME decision which reversed long-standing rights for working families.

“Despite the ongoing attacks, we are stronger today and will proudly tackle each one as would the great Notorious RGB. Justice Ginsburg’s dying wish was that she is not replaced until a new president is installed. We urge President Trump and the United States Senate to honor that wish and her legacy by waiting until the outcome of the November election, allowing the American people a voice in who shall next serve on the Supreme Court. We will hold elected leaders accountable for hypocrisy and vow to continue RBG’s important work to make ours a more perfect union.”

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The 310,000-member California Teachers Association is affiliated with the 3 million-member National Education Association.