Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was described as a hero, a trial-blazer and an American patriot by state and federal officials after her death at the age of 87 on Friday.
Ginsburg died of of complications from pancreatic cancer after she had battled cancer successfully three times.
After leading the legal fight for women’s rights in the 1970s, Ginsburg subsequently served 27 years on the U.S. Supreme Court, where she was the court’s leading liberal voice.
“Ruth Bader Ginsburg gave her all to us, and I will give mine to making sure the American people have their next President before her seat is filled,” said Sen. Patty Murray, a Democrat from Seattle, in a press release.
President Donald Trump already has prepared a short list of nominees for the GOP-controlled U.S. Senate and who wants to see a vote before the general election in November.
Confirmation of a Trump appointee would give conservatives a 6-3 majority on the court.
‘Her seat should not be filled until 2021,” said Gov. Jay Inslee in a statement issued Friday.
“We have lost one of the greatest American patriots to ever serve on the U.S. Supreme Court,” Inslee said.
”I have faith that no matter what happens next, Justice Ginsburg’s legacy will have reshaped America forever. We should all raise our voices to make sure her last wishes are met.”
Ginsburg reportedly said in the days before her death that her “most fervant wish” was that she not be replaced until a new president takes office.
“Justice Ginsburg was a giant — our longest-serving female Supreme Court Justice,” U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, a Democrat from D-Mountlake Terrace, said on Twitter.
“We have lost a real hero. Justice Ginsburg stood by the most vulnerable in her decisions, from ending single sex admission policies and protecting rights for those with mental disabilities to her dissents standing up for voting rights and paving the way for Congress to pass the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which strengthens protections against pay discrimination.”
Rep. Derek Kilmer,who represents the 6th Congressional District which includes the North Olympic Peninsula, called Ginsburg a “giant — a true public servant” who was a “trailblazing champion for equality and justice.”
The state’s two senators and the 6th Congressional District’s representative are all Democrats.
Republicans representing other parts of the state also reacted to Ginsburg’s death.
“Rest In Peace, Ruth Bader Ginsburg,” said U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican representing the 5th Congressional District, which includes Spokane.
“She was a pioneer and inspiration to many, especially generations of trailblazers and working moms.”
Said U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse, a Republican representing the 4th Congressional District, which includes Yakima: “I am saddened to hear about the loss of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. My prayers go out to her family, and may she Rest In Peace.”
Murray said that Ginsburg was the first Supreme Court justice for which she had voted.
”I’ll remember her as a friend, a role model, and a woman who opened doors for all the rest of us with her genius and her relentless pursuit of justice, freedom, and equality for each and every one of us, no matter who we are,” Murray said.
