With tensions riding high in the days leading to the US Presidential elections, Donald Trump has expressed his desire to nominate a new Supreme Court Justice, after the demise of Ruth Bader Ginsburg on September 18, 2020. The Supreme Court is an extremely significant organ of the US democracy as it delivers the final verdict on highly contentious laws.

BBC has expounded on the subject tracing the bone of contention trailing the matter. While Trump has claimed that he will be nominating another woman to the post, the fact has remained that amongst the nine justices in the Supreme Court, Ginsberg held one of the only four seats that the liberals have secured for themselves. The appointment, as Al Jazeera has noted could give the conservatives  a “six-to-three majority in the highest court in the US”, bringing down judgments on vital issues such as abortion, voting rights and other topics that have would have an effect on the lives of the citizens of the country.

The selection of the next justice, therefore, is a sensitive issue for most Americans as Ginsberg herself had mentioned before her death that “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.” Trump, praising Ginsberg’s contribution in a North Carolina rally, has stated that his new nominee is “a very talented, very brave woman” and that he will announce his decision within the week. On the disagreements that arose following his decision he further mentioned that “We have an obligation. We won and we have an obligation as the winners to pick who we want. That’s not the next president. We’re here right now.”

It is up to the President to nominate the next candidate for the vacant position, however, Biden and others in the Democratic Party have put forth the notion that the issue should be resolved only after the elections are concluded. The democrats have particularly argued that should an appointment be made now, it would be a reflection of the republican party’s hypocrisy, as the appointment of  Merrick Garland by Barrack Obama in 2016, months before the elections commenced, was highly criticized.