I have a distaste for overly partisan judges. Ginsburg was a partisan judge, a woman whose thoughts and opinions were predictable. Such a partisan posture and judicial outlook is precisely what you don’t want when you walk into a court of law. You want a judge who might land on either side of the issue, who has an open mind to the arguments before him/her. That is called getting a fair shake. In a very real and palpable sense, America’s hyperpolarized politics are at odds with sound judgeship.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg was 82 in 2015. She had spent over 20 years on the highest court in the land. She had written numerous opinions of note by then. If she had departed the court then, she would have served 6 years longer than what is the average Supreme Court tenure.
Her predecessor, a much more capable and wise judge than RBG ever was, Byron White, retired during Bill Clinton’s first term to ensure he was replaced by a fellow Democrat. White did what Ruth was incapable of doing, putting what he perceived to be the interests of the country before his own personal interests and aspirations. Still in his mid-70s, White was significantly younger in 1993 than Ginsburg was in 2015. If RBG had retired around 2015, Barack Obama could easily have replaced her. But alas, RBG was a narcissist until the end. That same narcissism has compelled her to comment time after time on political matters and political figures, statements that greatly undermine the standing and impartiality of the high court.