John Owens, Professor Emeritus of United States Government and Politics in the Centre for the Study of Democracy at the University of Westminster, has been quoted in an article for Newsweek examining the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s failure to retire and the threat this posed to the landmark abortion ruling.
The article hears from several political scientists who say that a ‘cult of personality’ had developed around Ginsburg, especially amongst progressives.
However, some say that her decision not to retire before her death – which led to then President Donald Trump nominating conservative Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court - may lead some of her admirers to reassess her legacy if the Roe vs Wade decision were to be overturned [which has been done after the publication of the article].
Professor Owens gives the view that it was inevitable that there would be a conservative majority on the Supreme Court, even if Ginsburg had decided to retire early. He said: "Some commentators have argued that if Ginsburg—and [former Justice Anthony] Kennedy—had been persuaded to retire earlier, the numbers on the Court would have been different.
"But, given the extent of partisan polarisation in the US and contemporary combination of control of the White House switching between the parties and Senate majorities being narrow, the creation of a solid conservative majority on the Court was inevitable, and sooner rather than later."
Read the full article on Newsweek’s website.
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