Matthew Kaplan Photography

Vigil for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in Chicago's Federal Plaza - September 19th, 2020

Hundreds of citizens gathered in Federal Plaza on Saturday evening to mourn the passing of beloved Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, a tireless champion for women’s equality. Succumbing on Friday after a heroic year’s long battle with pancreatic cancer, the death of justice Ginsberg leaves an opening in the nation’s higest court for a president to fill, with only 45 days to go before the election. “ Speaker after speaker exhorted the bereaved crowd to honor Justice Ginsberg by fighting to preserve her legacy of women’s rights and by voting, voting to oust President Trump. Mayor Lori Lighhtfoot gave a stirring oration, lauding Justice Ginsberg and denouncing the current president and his devisive policies. The mayor cried, “we must vanquish the evil forces tearing our country apart!”. A Lightfoot mention of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell evoked a spontaneous chorus of hisses and boos. In an unprecedented move, Senator McConnell denied even a hearing to President Obama’s supreme court nominee Meriick Garland, after Justice Antonin Scalia died with more than nine months to go before the 2016 elections, while indicating that he will attempt to push through President Trump’s pick with fewer than two months to go before the voters head to the polls in 2020. “There’s no limit to the hypocrisy.” Mayor Lightfoot said. Congresswoman Robin Kelly spoke of Ginsberg’s signature accomplishments in women’s rights, both on the high court and as a litigator in the years before she was nominated by President Clinton. “It’s our responsibility to carry on her legacy,” Kelly said. “We need to vote. We need to get our family, friends and associates to vote. We need to make sure total strangers vote!” “Hold the line and fight like HELL!” was the chant of another speaker, loudly repeated by the appreciative crowd. Following the presentation mourners wrote messages of appreciation to Justice Ginsburg and attached them with yarn to a pair of trees in the plaza, while others placed flowers and signage at a base of a flag pole.