Ginsburg comments were out of order
Shawn Hubler of The Sacramento Bee asked the question, “If not now, when should [Ruth Bader] Ginsburg have spoken out?” The answer is easy, when she retires from the Supreme Court.
I have a friend who is an immigration judge for the government. He is not permitted to comment on any immigration issue, except when it appears before him in court. This is what Antonin Scalia did when dissenting on a case decided by the court. Justice Ginsburg was not commenting on a pending case.
Ms. Hubler commented on the Florida court case in 2000. She failed to mention that independent news organizations did a recount of the Florida vote and found that George W. Bush really did get more votes.
She also failed to mention that Sandra Day O’Connor had good reason to object to CBS calling the election for Al Gore In 2000. The call was made before the polls had closed in western Florida, which is in a different time zone. Western Florida is more Republican, and many Republicans reportedly stayed home when they heard their state called for Gore.
It is unlikely that Justice Ginsburg’s remarks will change many minds, but her comments were inappropriate, as she has now admitted.
Don Riding, Fresno
This story was originally published July 19, 2016 at 2:06 PM with the headline "Ginsburg comments were out of order."