Local leaders from across the political spectrum shared their the reactions to the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Friday at the age of 87.

Fresno City Councilman Mike Karbassi: 
“She was an inspiration not only for a new generation of women who realize you can achieve anything if you were her new dream, but also for her pragmatism and the integrity that she added into the court. “This has been a heck of a year. We’re all really busy dealing with the economic fallout of COVID, the fear for our safety. But this really takes the presidential election to a whole different level. And now we have to stop and realize elections have consequences.

“We live in a time where there’s divisiveness in this country. We have the president and Congress disagreeing. We have Congress itself and the Senate disagreeing. The most powerful branch, in my opinion, is the deciding branch. That’s the judicial branch — the Supreme Court.

“And, you know, there’s definitely a void to fill. And the question is, which way is it going to go? I think that you would find people that are hard core conservatives that respected her intelligence. And I hope that we have someone to fill those those shoes. But I think in this environment, it’s going to be very difficult. So this really is a loss for our country, for for many, many years.”

Fresno City Councilman Luis Chavez:
“The words that come to mind when I think about her, I mean, she was really a trailblazer and a huge champion for women’s rights. I think when she was nominated and I remember, you know, writing a paper in college about her, she was really seen as a moderate. Kind of the phrase I used when I described her was the the conscience of the Supreme Court. Because she came in at a time when, I think it was the mid 90s, 1993, 94, when President Clinton nominated her and she had this just wealth of life experience, that perspective that was not traditionally included as as a woman, as a as an attorney, as one of the first attorneys in her field. And so she really was a trailblazer, a pioneer.

“And then later, if you think about it, she really turned into a popular icon, you know, a symbol of women’s rights and equality pay and civil rights. And so to lose somebody like that, with that wealth of knowledge and wisdom at a time when our country needs it the most, it’s just a really tragic situation. And I’ll be interested to see if, you know, Senator McConnell abides by the same rule that he implemented when President Obama was leaving. He said that during an election year, the next president should nominate the next justice of the Supreme Court. So I think, you know, knowing that the political climate right now will probably figure out a way of politicizing this even more.

“And I think it’s going to be one of those, you know, turning points and moments in our in our nation’s history where it’s going to energize people on both sides because the Supreme Court is at a time when there’s chaos and, you know, lack of rule of law. I think we need people that are going to be in there that can really rein in what this country is really about. And I think she just symbolized that. And it’s just a tragic loss for for the nation.”

Fresno City Councilwoman Esmeralda Soria: 

“I’m heartbroken for the loss of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Not only did we lose a trailblazer for women in our country, we lost a champion for equality and justice. She made young women like me believe that we belong in all places where decisions are being made. Her passing is the latest and strongest reminder that the stakes are high this election. We must all vote in 2020 as if our current rights and future rights are at risk because they are.”

Fresno County Supervisor Buddy Mendes:
“I want to say my condolences to her family.”

Rep. Jim Costa (D – Fresno), 16th Congressional District:
“The passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a sad day for all of America. A woman jurist who broke the glass ceiling in so many different ways, she was strong advocate on behalf of women’s rights and civil justice. She made a difference. Justice Ginsburg was respected by conservative and moderate jurists. Her ability to build bridges with giants like Justice O’Connor and Justice Scalia is one of many examples on how she balanced the scales of justice.”