After announcing the start of the new term, Chief Justice Roberts said the memorial drapery on the entrance of the Supreme Court's courtroom and on the bench was to "signify mourning" for Justice Ginsburg, who died of cancer less than three weeks ago, on Sept. 18. He then recounted the late justice's career achievements, from arguing "six significant gender discrimination cases" in the high court as an advocate to authoring nearly 500 opinions as the court's second female justice.
"Justice Ginsburg's contributions as advocate, jurist and citizen are immeasurable," he said via telephone due to the coronavirus pandemic. "We at the court will remember her as a dear friend and a treasured colleague."
He sent the court's condolences to Justice Ginsburg's two children, her extended family and her "countless admirers" — an acknowledgement of her widespread popularity later in life as a feminist hero.
At an "appropriate time," the chief justice said, there will be the traditional memorial service in the Supreme Court's courtroom attended by the justices and members of the bar. The pandemic has left the Supreme Court shuttered to the public and conducting oral arguments via teleconference.
Since Justice Ginsburg's death in late September, Republicans have been racing to fill her seat with President Donald Trump's third Supreme Court nominee, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, before the November election. Senate Republicans have held to a breakneck timeline for Judge Barrett's confirmation even after two GOP members of the Senate Judiciary Committee tested positive for COVID-19, with hearings set to begin in the committee next week.
Justice Ginsburg's last statement, dictated to her granddaughter, was that the next president should choose her replacement.
--Editing by Marygrace Murphy.
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