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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 31 January 2018
Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s great

fear: Courts viewed as partisan

By MICHELLE R. SMITH
Associated Press
BRISTOL, R.I. (AP) — One
of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s
great fears is that the fed-
eral judiciary will start to be
seen as just another politi-
cal branch of government
divided along partisan lines
like Congress, the U.S. Su-
preme Court justice said
Tuesday.
Ginsburg skipped President
Donald Trump’s first State of
the Union address, instead
speaking at Roger Williams
University School of Law in
Rhode Island.
She did not discuss the Re-
publican president, but
bemoaned the partisan at-
mosphere in Washington, in
particular the divisive pro-
cess for confirming judges.
She pointed to fights over
the last four justices ap-
pointed to the court: Sam-
uel Alito, Sonia Sotomayor,
Elena Kagan and Neil Gor-
such.
“Four fine justices who
should have gotten over-
whelming support but got
many negative votes,” she Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg answers a law student’s question as she participates
in a “fireside chat” in the Bruce M. Selya Appellate Courtroom at the Roger William University Law
said. “I think it will take great School on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018, in Bristol, R.I.
leaders on both sides of the Associated Press
aisle to say ‘Let’s stop this This time will too. We have can Susan Collins. name as lawyer Cathe-
nonsense and start working something so wonderful in The 84-year-old justice rine MacKinnon, who pio-
for our country the way we this nation,” she said. “That said she feels fine, eliciting neered sexual harassment
should.’” Democracy exists. It would cheers and applause from law.
“We have a great federal be tragic to lose it. And the audience. While avoiding talk of
judiciary, and I hope we I think good people, no She attributed her health Trump, Ginsburg did men-
can keep it,” she added. matter whether Democrat to her personal trainer, who tion former President Jimmy
She also expressed hope or Republican, appreciate published a book on the Carter, who appointed her
that the country eventu- that.” justice’s workout last year. to the U.S. Court of Appeals
ally will get over the current Ginsburg said some in Con- A new documentary about in 1980, 13 years before
period of intense partisan- gress are working across her, titled “RBG,” which her appointment to the Su-
ship, comparing it to the the aisle, singling out three just premiered at the Sun- preme Court.
1950s, when McCarthyism female senators for praise: dance Film Festival, shows Carter, a Democrat,
and the Red Scare led the Massachusetts Democrat Ginsburg doing exercises, served only one term and
country to stray “from its Elizabeth Warren, Minne- including pushups and never made a Supreme
most fundamental values.” sota Democrat Amy Klobu- throwing a weighted ball. Court appointment. But
“That time has passed. char and Maine Republi- “Many reporters want to he “changed the com-
know about the routine. plexion” of the judiciary by
Most of them fail miser- appointing women and
ably,” she told the crowd minorities to the bench at
Tuesday, laughing and a time when judges were
shaking her head. white and male, she said.
She dodged a question “No president ever re-
asking her thoughts about turned to the not-so-good-
how “Saturday Night Live” old days,” Ginsburg said.
depicts her lifting weights, Ginsburg is one of five Su-
popping vitamins and de- preme Court justices ex-
termined to outlast the pected to skip Trump’s
Trump administration. She speech. The others are Jus-
pointed out that the ac- tices Alito, Sotomayor, An-
tress who portrays her, Kate thony Kennedy and Clar-
McKinnon, has the same ence Thomas.q