Joe Biden said Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg "never failed, she was fierce and unflinching in her pursuit of civil and legal right and civil rights of everyone," after learning of her death Friday night.
What he's saying: Biden gave a statement after traveling to Delaware from Minnesota, where, earlier Friday, he gave a campaign speech at a carpenters’ training center in Hermantown, a suburb of Duluth. She was "not only a giant in the legal profession, but a beloved figure, and my heart goes out to all those who cared for her and cared about her."
- "And she practiced the highest American ideals as a justice — equality and justice under the law. Ruth Bader Ginsburg stood for the law.
- "As a young attorney, she persisted, overcoming a lot of obstacles for a woman practicing law in those days ... she continued until she moved herself into a position where she could end up changing the law of the land."
- "It's hard to believe that it was my honor to preside over her confirmation hearing ... She never failed, she was fierce and unflinching in her pursuit of civil and legal right and civil rights of everyone."
- "Tonight and in the coming days we should focus on the loss of the justice and her enduring legacy.
- "This was the position the Republican Senate took in 2016 when there were almost 10 months to go before the election. That's the position the United States Senate must take today, and the election's only 46 days off.
- "I think the fastest justice ever confirmed was 47 days, and the average is closer to 70 days, and so we should do this with full consideration, and that is my hope and expectation of what will happen."
Why it matters:Republican sources tell Axios that President Trump plans to move within days to nominate his third justice, adding that the Republican base will revolt on Election Day if he does not.
- "[T]here is no doubt, let me be clear, the voters should pick the president and the president should pick the justice for the senate to consider," Biden said.