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Articles on Ruth Bader Ginsburg

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Donald Trump, left, and Joe Biden, both photographed on Nov. 2, 2023, are two of the three oldest men ever to serve as president. Trump: Brandon Bell/Getty Images; Biden: AP Photo/Evan Vucci

Why are US politicians so old? And why do they want to stay in office?

Many years beyond the average American retirement age, politicians vie for power and influence. Their constituents tend to prefer they step back and pass the torch to younger people.
Lifetime tenure has pushed the average age of judicial nominees down as presidents appoint younger justices in hopes they will serve for many decades. Erin Schaff/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Should the Supreme Court have term limits?

Unlike in most countries, US Supreme Court justices enjoy life tenure. Some legal scholars believe that centuries-old custom, meant to protect judicial independence, no longer serves the public.
Number three: Donald Trump at the swearing in of Amy Coney Barrett to the US Supreme Court. She is the third justice he has appointed to the court. Ken Cedeno/EPA

Where the politicisation of the US Supreme Court could lead

Republicans won the recent battle over nominations to the US Supreme Court with the appointment of Amy Coney Barrett. The loser might be the court itself.
Former House Speaker John Boehner holds a press conference June 25, 2012, after the Supreme Court handed down a 5-4 decision upholding the Affordable Care Act. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Why Democrats and health policy experts believe the Barrett confirmation rush is about getting rid of the Affordable Care Act: 3 essential reads

Democrats are outraged at what they say is the hypocrisy of allowing a president to appoint a new Supreme Court justice near the end of his term. One of their biggest practical concerns is the ACA.
A lot of interests want to influence the cases that come before the Supreme Court and how they’re decided. Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

How conservative groups will advance their agendas before a Supreme Court with Amy Coney Barrett

Special interests use the court as a public policy battleground. Here’s a rundown of how that works and which groups are likely to appear before a conservative court with Amy Coney Barrett on it.
Trump with 7th U.S. Circuit Judge Amy Coney Barrett and her family Sept. 26 at the White House. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Amy Coney Barrett may be the next woman on the Supreme Court – but does a nominee’s gender matter?

With Amy Coney Barrett’s nomination, Trump has fulfilled his pledge to replace the late justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg with a woman. But female judges don’t all decide alike any more than male judges do.
Members of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal organization, which began in Pennsylvania in 1967, holding a meeting in France. Photo by Jacques Pavlovsky/Sygma via Getty Images

What is charismatic Catholicism?

The Catholic charismatic movement in the United States began during the 1960s. The practices of Catholic charismatics encompass various forms of Pentecostalism.
Abortion rights demonstrators rally outside the Supreme Court in Washington on March 4, 2020. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin File)

If you’re pro-life, you might already be pro-choice

The death of U.S. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has re-ignited debates on the protection of reproductive rights. This might be the time to examine an overlooked inconsistency in the pro-life argument.
Michael Widomski, left, and David Hagedorn at the makeshift memorial for Justice Ginsburg in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on Sept. 20, 2020 in Washington, DC. Ginsburg officiated their wedding in 2013. Samuel Corum/Getty Images

Ginsburg’s legal victories for women led to landmark anti-discrimination rulings for the LGBTQ community, too

Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death sparked many tributes to her work ending sex discrimination against women. That work also paved the way for successes in the fight for equal rights for the LGBTQ community.
Protesters against passage of a bill to expand mail-in voting during a Nevada Republican Party demonstration, August 4, 2020, in Las Vegas. Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Mail-in voting does not cause fraud, but judges are buying the GOP’s argument that it does

In lawsuits across the country, the GOP and Trump campaign are trying to stop or dramatically curtail mail-in voting. Courts have largely sided with them, threatening massive disenfranchisement.

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