Following the end of an exceptional American Life. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg added so much to our country. First and foremost, she was a brilliant generational legal that climbed one obstacle ther another to summit pinnacle of her profession. She was a fixture on the nations highest court for more than a quarter of a century. She was not just a lawyer. Not just a lawyer, but a leader. From majority opinions to impassioned distance dissents, her work and lightens scholars and students for generations. By all accounts, Justice Ginsberg love to work because she loved the law. Story,re ordinary life her courage and excellence in the face of multiple serious illnesses would itself be a heroic climax, rather than just one more remarkable chapter among so many. Court, she was a universally admired colleague, rememberany americans her famous friendship with Justice Scalia. Sure the halls of justice ring with laughter. Rang ith laughter with laughter. Officer together at the they sat together at the opera. The legal world is mourning a giant. The fellow justices, a legion of others arelerks and morning a close friend and mentor. The senate sends condolences to them all. The impact on American Life went deeper still. The loss feels personal to millions of americans who may have never made her acquaintance. Justice ginsburg was a spirited, powerful and historic champion for american women to a degree that transcends any legal or philosophical disagreement. As she climbed from the middle class Brooklyn Jewish roots of which she was so proud into the most rarefied area of government, she surmounted one sexist obstacle after another. And she did not only climb a mountain, she blazed the trail. Throughtz, words and by example, she cleared away the cobwebs of prejudice. She opened one professional door after another and made sure they stayed open behind her. Directly or indirectly, she helped an entire generation of talented women build their lives as they saw fit and enriched our society through professional work. Law and politics aside, no friend of equality could fear failed to appreciate her determination. Relished detailed a uniter. She was also in recent years, many who considerer. Hemselves her admirers remained unswerving in public commitment to preserving the neutral foundation of the institution she loved. The entire senate is united in thinking of and praying for her family, most especially her children, grandchildren, greatgranddaughter, and everyone who called her their own. The following remarks appear at a different place in the record. Without objection. President trumps nominee for the vacancy will receive a vote on the floor of the senate. Already, some of the same individuals who tried every conceivable dirty trick to obstruct Justice Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh are lining up to proclaim that third time will be the charm. The American People are about to witness an astonishing parade of misrepresentation about the past , missed statements about present misstatements about the present, and more from the same people whod been saying they want to pack the court. Two years ago, a radical movement tried to use unproven accusations to ruin a mans life because they could not win a vote fair and square. Now they appear to be writing an appalling will. This time the target will not just be the presumption of innocence, but the very governing institutions themselves. There will be times in the days ahead to discuss the naked threats that leading democrats have been directing at the senate and Supreme Court itself. These threats have grown louder but they predate this vacancy by many months. There will be times to discuss why senators who appear on the steps of the Supreme Court and personally threatened associate justices if they do not rule a certain way are illequipped to give lectures on civics. But today, let us dispense with a few of the factual misrepresentations on the outset. We are already hearing incorrect claims there is not sufficient time to examine and confirm a nominee. We can debunk this in 30 seconds. As of today, there are 43 days until november 3 and 104 days until the end of congress. The late John Paul Stevens was confirmed by the senate 19 days after the body formally received his nomination. 19 days from start to finish. Oconnor wasa day confirmed 33 days after her nomination. The late Justice Ginsburg herself, 42 days. Entire process could have been played out twice between now and november 3 with time to spare. Justice ginsburg could have been confirmed twice between now and the end of the year with time to spare. The senate has more than sufficient time for nomination. History and precedent make that clear. Situation is in nablus to Justice Scalia passing is analogous to Justice Scalias passing and this is false. Here is what i said on the senate floor the first session, the day after he passed away. The senate has not filled a vacancy with the Election Year when there was a divided 1888, almostnce 130 years ago. Here is what i said the next day when i spoke to the press for the first time on the subject. You have to go back to 1888 to was the last time i vacancy approved by the senate of a different party. As of then, only six prior times in the history has a vacancy arisen in a president ial Election Year and the president sent a nomination to the senate of the opposite party. The majority of those times the outcome was what happened in 2016. No confirmation. When you havecome divided government. President obama was asking Senate Republicans in unusual favor that had last been granted nearly 130 years before, but voters explicitly had elected our majority to check and balance the end of his presidency. So we stuck with the basic norm. Dido doing, the majority what democrats indicated they would do. In 1992, democrats controlled the senate opposite president bush. Joe biden chaired the judiciary committee. Unprompted, he publicly declared the committee might refuse to cooperate if a vacancy arose and the republican president tried to sell it. Still it. Fill it. With more than a year and a half in george w. Bushs term, the current democratic leader declared that except in extraordinary circumstances, the opposite party side should boycott any further confirmation to the Supreme Court. A year and a half before the end of the bush administration. In 2016, Senate Republicans not only maintains the historical read the playbook. When voters have not chosen divided government, when americans have elected a Senate Majority to work closely with the sitting president , the historical record is more in favor of confirmation. Eight times in our history new vacancies have arisen and president s have made nominations, all during the Election Year. Seven of the eight were confirmed. Exception was a bizarre thattion with corruption extended into financial dealings. ,part from that one exception no senate has failed to confirm a nominee in the circumstances that face us now. Exception, not senate has failed to confirm a nominee in the circumstances that face us now. Is historical precedent running in one direction. If our democratic colleagues want to claim they are outraged, they can only be outraged at the facts of american history. There was clear precedent behind the outcome that came out of 2016 and there is even more behind the fact that this senate will vote on this nomination this year. Americans reelected the majority in 2016 and strengthened it further in 2018 because we pledged to work with trump on the most Critical Issues facing the country. The federal judiciary was at the top of the list. Democratic leader went out of his way to declare the midterm 2018 elections a referendum on the senates handling of the Supreme Court. Democratic leader went out of his way. In his final speech before cavanaugh was confirmed, he at theover and over American People to go vote. He told americans, do not elect senators based on how they would approach their duties. , manyunately for americans did that. After watching democrat tactics, voters grew our emergency our majority and retired four of the former colleagues that had gone along with the behavior. We gained two seats and they lost four. Does the issue. Any that than was the issue. Perhaps more than any issue. In 2014 voters elected our majority because we pledged the check and balance a second lameduck president. Two years later, we kept our word. Voters grew the majority on our pledge to continue working with trump most on his judicial appointments. We will keep our word once again. Nominatione on this on this floor. Chuck schumer in the jewish tr