WE ARE BEGINNING WITH A
DEVELOPING STORY, RUTH BADER
GINSBURG HAS DIED, TONIGHT, HER
LIFE AND LEGACY ARE BEING
CELEBRATED.
THE FIGHT TO REPLACE HER AS
ALREADY BEGUN, MITCH McCONNELL
SAYS A TRUMPET NOMINEE WILL GET
A VOTE IN THE SENATE, LET'S GO
LIGHT TO THE SUPREME COURT,
NATALIE BRAND IS THERE.
Reporter: CROWDS HAVE
GATHERED ON THE STEPS OF THE
SUPREME COURT, LEAVING FLOWERS,
LEAVING CANDLES TO HONOR THE
LATE JUSTICE GINSBURG, THEY SAY
THEY ARE HERE TO HONOR HER LIFE
AND CAREER, CONTRIBUTIONS TO
EQUAL RIGHTS.
RUTH BADER GINSBURG WAS A STAR
IN THE LEGAL WORLD, MOST
AMERICANS LEARNED HER NAME IN
1993 WHEN PRESIDENT BILL
CLINTON TAPPED HER FOR THE
SUPREME COURT.
I, RUTH BADER GINSBURG, DO
SOLEMNLY SWEAR --
Reporter: SHE WAS A NATIVE
NEW YORKER WITH A STELLAR
RESUME AND ONLY THE SECOND
WOMAN EVER PICKED FOR THE
NATION'S HIGHEST COURT, DECADES
EARLIER AFTER GRADUATING FROM
COLUMBIA LAW SCHOOL, GINSBURG
HAD TO FIGHT HER WAY ALONG HER
CAREER PATH, SHE HAD THE FULL
SUPPORT OF HER HUSBAND, MARTIN,
BUT BEING JEWISH, A WOMAN, AND
A MOTHER FOR THREE STRIKES THAT
PUTS HER OUT OF THE GAME.
REJECTED BY LAW FIRMS, SHE TOOK
A JOB AS A LAW CLERK AND A
PROFESSOR, IN THE 1970s, SHE
STARTED THE WOMEN'S RIGHTS
PROJECT AT THE ACLU.
HAVING EXPERIENCED THIS,
NATION, THE SHE DEVOTED HER
NEXT 20 YEARS TO FIGHTING IT.
Reporter: SHE ARGUED SIX
CASES BEFORE THE SUPREME COURT
AND WON FIVE.
IT CONTRIBUTES TO THE END OF
THE DAY IS WHEN WOMEN, AT LEAST
HALF THE TALENT POOL IN OUR
SOCIETY, APPEAR IN HIGH PLACES
ONLY AS ONE AT A TIME
PERFORMANCE.
Reporter: ONE OF THE HIGH
COURT'S WERE LIBERAL VOICES,
GINSBURG CONSISTENTLY SUPPORTED
CIVIL RIGHTS, SHE ISSUED A
STRONG DISSENT IN THE BUSH
VERSUS GORE CASE, WHICH DECIDED
THE 2000 ELECTION.
GINSBURG HAD SEVERAL HOUSE
SKILLS, IN 2010, DOCTORS REMOVED
TWO GROWTHS FROM HER LUNGS
CAUSING HER TO MISS SIX DAYS IN
COURT, SHE SURVIVED COLON
CANCER AND TWO INCIDENTS
INVOLVING PANCREATIC CANCER,
HER REFUSAL TO STEP DOWN AND
HER UNPARALLELED WORK ETHIC
EARNED HER POP-CULTURE ICON
STATUS.
IT WAS BEYOND MY WILDEST
IMAGINATION THAT I WOULD ONE
DAY BECOME THE NOTORIOUS RBG.
Reporter: GINSBURG LOST HER
HUSBAND IN 2010 AFTER 56 YEARS
OF MARRIAGE.
SHE WAS BACK IN COURT A FEW
MONTHS LATER FOR WHAT SHE
CALLED AN EXHILARATING
DEVELOPMENT, WHEN JUSTICE IS
TAKEN AND SO THE MAYOR JOINED
HER ON THE HIGH COURT.
ANOTHER MILESTONE FOR THE
WOMEN'S MOVEMENT, WHICH
GINSBURG HELPED PIONEER.
THAT WAS NATALIE BRAND,
PRESIDENT TRUMP GOT THE NEWS
AFTER FINISHING A CAMPAIGN
RALLY SPEECH.
YOU DID NOT SAY ANYTHING
ABOUT NOMINATING A REPLACEMENT.
SHE LED AN AMAZING LIFE,
WHAT ELSE CAN YOU SAY, SHE WAS
AN AMAZING WOMAN, WHETHER YOU
AGREED WITH HER OR NOT, SHE WAS
AN AMAZING WOMAN WHO LED AN
AMAZING LIFE.
JOE BIDEN SPOKE LATE
TONIGHT.
HE PRAISED GINSBURG AND MADE
CLEAR WHAT HE THINKS SHOULD
HAPPEN NEXT.
THERE IS NO DOUBT, LET ME BE
CLEAR, THAT THE VOTERS SHOULD
PICK THE PRESIDENT AND THE
PRESIDENT SHOULD PICK THE
JUSTICE FOR THE SENATE TO
CONSIDER.
THIS WAS THE POSITION OF THE
REPUBLICAN SENATE IN 2016, WHEN
THEY WERE ALMOST 10 MONTHS TO
GO BEFORE THE ELECTION.
THE POSITION OF THE UNITED
STATES SENATE TODAY.
OUR TEAM COVERAGE CONTINUES
WITH THE POLITICAL STORM THAT
IS ABOUT TO EXPLODE, SOME MAY
SAY IT HAS EXPLODED, IN 2016,
BARACK OBAMA NOMINATED GARLAND
TO THE SUPREME COURT, MITCH
McCONNELL REFUSED TO EVEN HOLD
A HEARING, CLAIMING IT WAS TOO
CLOSE TO THE ELECTION, THAT WAS
IN MARCH, WE ARE NOW IN MID
SEPTEMBER, McCONNELL SAYS
TONIGHT, PRESIDENT TRUMP'S
NOMINEE WILL GET A VOTE, TALK
ABOUT HOW BIG A FIGHT THIS WILL
BE.
Reporter: THIS IS GOING TO
BE HUGE, THIS IS GOING TO
REDEFINE A LOT OF THINGS.
I WILL TELL YOU THAT JUST
BECAUSE MITCH McCONNELL SAYS
THERE WILL BE A VOTE ON WHOEVER
DONALD TRUMP NOMINATES DOES NOT
NECESSARILY MEAN THERE WILL BE,
THERE WAS GOING TO BE A LOT OF
PRESSURE ON A NUMBER OF
REPUBLICAN SENATORS TO COME OUT
AND OPPOSE AT THIS, TO WAIT
UNTIL THE ELECTION TAKES PLACE,
IF DONALD TRUMP IS REELECTED,
HE WILL MOVE FORWARD WITH HIS
NOMINEE, IF JOE BIDEN IS
ELECTED PRESIDENT, THERE ARE A
NUMBER OF REPUBLICAN SENATORS
WHO HAVE SAID IN THE PAST, THAT
THEY DON'T THINK THAT SUPREME
COURT NOMINEE SHOULD BE APPROVED
IN A LAME DUCK SESSION, LISA
MURKOWSKI IN ALASKA, CHUCK
GRASSLEY FROM IOWA, SUSAN
COLLINS FROM MAINE, EVEN
LINDSEY GRAHAM HAS PREVIOUSLY
SAID, AS RECENTLY AS 2018, THAT
IF A SUPREME COURT NOMINEE CAME
UP IN THE FINAL YEAR OF DONALD
TRUMP'S TERM THIS YEAR, THAT
THAT SHOULD WAIT UNTIL AFTER
THE ELECTION, WILL THAT OCCUR?
MITCH McCONNELL, THIS IS WHAT
MITCH McCONNELL HAS BEEN
WAITING FOR, THIS IS WHAT
CONSERVATIVES HAVE BEEN WAITING
FOR, IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKELY
THEY'RE GOING TO TRY TO PASS UP
ON THIS OPPORTUNITY, IT IS NOT
A GUARANTEE THAT THERE WILL BE
A VOTE ON WHOEVER THE PRESIDENT
NOMINATES, THIS IS GOING TO BE
ONE HECK OF A FIGHT.
MARCO RUBIO AND RICK SCOTT,
NEITHER IS UP FOR REELECTION,
RICK SCOTT IS NOT GOING TO
BREAK FROM THE PRESIDENT THIS
TIME, HE TWEETED, QUOTE, IT
WOULD BE IRRESPONSIBLE TO ALLOW
AN EXTENDED VACANCY ON THE
SUPREME COURT, I BELIEVE
PRESIDENT TRUMP OFFICE NOMINEE
SHOULD GET A VOTE IN THE U.S.
SENATE, WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS
ON THAT TONIGHT?
Reporter: AGAIN, LET'S GO
BACK TO THE REPUBLICAN SENATE
WAS PERFECTLY WILLING TO ALLOW
A SUPREME COURT VACANCY TO
REMAIN OPEN FOR MORE THAN 10
MONTHS, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A
LITTLE BIT MORE THAN TWO MONTHS
IN THE CURRENT CASE, ONE OF THE
THINGS YOU WERE GOING TO HEAR
REPUBLICANS ARGUE, AND THERE IS
A POINT TO BE MADE HERE, IS
THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN THE
SUPREME COURT SITS IN THE FIRST
MONDAY OF OCTOBER, A LOTS OF
CASES RELATED TO WHAT HAPPENS
IN THE NOVEMBER ELECTION COULD
END UP IN THE SUPREME COURT, WE
SAW THAT IN 2000, DO YOU WANT A
FULL NINE MEMBER COURT TO BE
ABLE TO HEAR THOSE TYPES OF
CASES IN TERMS OF ANY
CHALLENGES THAT MIGHT COME UP
IN THE NOVEMBER ELECTION.
I WILL ALSO TELL YOU, IN
PREVIOUS INTERVIEWS WITH MARCO
RUBIO, HE HAS SAID HE DOES NOT
EQUATE WHAT HAPPENED TO MERRICK
GARLAND WITH NOW, HE OPPOSED
GARLAND GETTING A HEARING IN
2016, HE SAYS HE THINKS THAT IS
DIFFERENT BECAUSE THAT WAS
BARACK OBAMA IN THE FINAL YEAR
OF HIS EIGHT YEARS AS
PRESIDENT, AGAIN, THERE IS A
BIT OF HYPOCRISY HERE, IT WILL
BE HARD TO IMAGINE, YOU KNOW,
TO REVIEW BREAKING WITH THE
PRESIDENT, HE IS WILLING TO BE
SEEN AS A HYPOCRITE ON THAT,
AND SUPPORT GETTING A