WKU professor talks about the impact of RBG’s passing

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) - The nation lost a monumental leader over the weekend. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, United States Supreme Court justice and women’s rights champion, passed away at 87.

Ginsburg was the second woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court and served for 27 years. WKU political science professor Dr. Jeff Budziak says Ginsburg’s passing and replacement will have a large impact on the nation’s policies.

“Part of the reason that she’s kind of cultivated this iconic stance in the court is not just the work she’s done on the court which has been consequential but much of the work she did prior to coming to the court, which really changed the way approach questions of gender discrimination and sex discrimination," says Budziak.

President Trump is pushing to replace Ginsburg as soon as possible. Currently, there are 5 justices appointed by Republican presidents and 3 appointed by Democratic presidents.

“With six members of a conservative majority... it really makes the probability of getting liberal outcomes on these really important publicly salient issues much less likely than we had in the past,” Dr. Budziak explains.

Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell will play a major role in when Ginsburg’s spot is replaced.

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