Dozens of Chapel Hill residents gathered at Peace and Justice Plaza Wednesday to honor former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who died on Friday at the age of 87.

Ginsburg, a women’s rights champion, became the court’s second female justice in 1993. She became known as the unquestioned leader of the Supreme Court’s liberal wing, presiding over several monumental decision, and was referred to as “The Notorious RBG” among her younger admirers.

Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger said she was shocked to hear the news of Ginsburg’s death last week.

“I was working on Zoom and I was stunned and saddened for Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s family, for women everywhere in the nation, because this is a huge loss,” said Hemminger.

Residents first gathered at the corner of Graham and Franklin Streets, and then marched down toward Peace and Justice Plaza. Many people wore shirts or held signs featuring Ginsburg’s likeness. Organizers also passed out sample election ballots to those who marched and people they passed on the sidewalk.

Former Chapel Hill Mayor and current UNC School of Law professor Ken Broun spoke about going through law school at the same time as Ginsburg. He said there were only five women in his class of 1963 at the University of Illinois and none could find a job following graduation. Ginsburg’s story was similar, as she was the only woman in her class at Harvard University.

“Things have changed since then,” Broun said, “but it was ground-breakers such as Justice Ginsburg that made that possible.”

Broun said he views Ginsburg a “tireless and brilliant advocate” who was one of the most important voices for women in history.

“I met her only once,” he described to the crowd. “She gave a talk at the UNC Law School in 1980’s, It was a brilliant analysis of cases involving discrimination against women, including your reproductive rights under Roe V. Wade.”

Ginsburg battled health issues throughout her time on the court. She underwent several surgeries to combat cancer, including an operation in December 2018 to remove cancerous growths on her lung. Still, Ginsburg said she was “fully able” to continue in her role as a Supreme Court justice amid her battle with cancer.

“Justice Ginsburg’s importance for the future is not simply in the quality of her advocacy as a lawyer and her opinions as a justice of the Supreme court,” Broun said. “As the ‘Notorious RBG,’ her life is a symbol and inspiration to all of us who argue and lead the fight for those things important to the future for all of the people of this nation.”

Ginsburg’s death just six weeks before Election Day is set to spark a furious debate over whether President Donald Trump should nominate, and the Republican-led Senate should confirm, her replacement on the Supreme Court or whether the nomination should wait until the results of this year’s election.

Democrats have pointed to 2016, when Republicans blocked then-President Barack Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. At the time, Republicans insisted that the next president should fill the vacancy.

President Trump said earlier this week he will make his nomination for the Supreme Court seat on Saturday.

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