Chief Justice John Roberts: Ginsburg ‘a jurist of historic stature’

Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts said Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a “jurist of historic stature” in a statement announcing her death Friday evening. 

Ginsburg died of complications with pancreatic cancer at 87 years old. 

“Our Nation has lost a jurist of historic stature. We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague,” Roberts said. “Today we mourn, but with confidence that future generations will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg as we knew her — a tireless and resolute champion of justice.” 

Friday evening the nation mourned Ginsburg, a liberal firebrand who championed women’s rights throughout her career. 

Ginsburg was nominated to the high court by then-President Clinton in 1993. She was the second woman to be appointed to the Supreme Court and served as a justice for more than 27 years. 

Her death instantly sparked a partisan battle among lawmakers over the vacancy on the bench, which comes less than two months before Election Day.

The conservative-majority court has five conservative justices, including Roberts, and Ginsburg was one of the four liberal judges. 

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has said he intends to bring a nominee up for a vote in the Republican-majority Senate. Democrats are already calling to leave the seat open until next year.