Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died

By Fernando Alfonso III, Veronica Rocha, Meg Wagner, Melissa Macaya and Rob Picheta, CNN

Updated 8:10 a.m. ET, September 20, 2020

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8:10 a.m. ET, September 20, 2020

Massachusetts governor urges Trump and Senate to nominate Ginsburg's replacement after election

From CNN’s Nicky Robertson

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker speaks at a press conference in Fitchburg, Massachusetts on September 15. Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe/Getty Images

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker urged President Trump and the US Senate “to allow the American people to cast their ballots for President before a new justice is nominated or confirmed.”

In a tweet Saturday, Baker called the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg "not only a loss for the court but for the entire nation."

On Friday, Baker endorsed incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine in her upcoming election. His endorsement was featured Friday in an ad paid for by the Republican Jewish Coalition.

“As governor of Massachusetts I work with both parties to get things done. Susan Collins does that in the senate. She’s pro-environment, pro-women, pro-Maine. We need more leaders like Susan. I hope you reelect her,” he said.

Collins released a statement Friday evening on the passing of Ginsburg, but did not mention whether the nomination of a new justice should happen before or after the presidential election.

Read the tweet:

2:13 p.m. ET, September 19, 2020

British embassy in Washington, DC, lowers flags to half-mast in honor of Ginsburg

The British embassy in Washington, DC, has lowered its flags in honor of the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg, according to its official Twitter account.

Read the tweet:

1:47 p.m. ET, September 19, 2020

White House would like to announce Supreme Court nominee before the first presidential debate

From CNN's Jim Acosta

The American flag flies at half-staff above the White House on Saturday. Patrick Semansky/AP

A Trump adviser close to the process said the White House would like to announce a pick for the Supreme Court before the first presidential debate, which is scheduled for Sept. 29.

Some more context: One source close to the process of searching for a new Supreme Court justice believes that the top of President Trump's list includes Judges Amy Coney Barrett, Barbara Lagoa and Amul Thapar.

1:26 p.m. ET, September 19, 2020

Ginsburg was a "champion of justice and women's equality," Jill Biden says

From CNN’s Sarah Mucha and Austen Bundy

Jill Biden, the wife of Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, briefly mentioned the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg during an Ohio virtual canvassing launch event Saturday.

Biden said that Ginsburg lived “an illustrious and fearless life.”

“As a champion of justice and women's equality, and today my heart is with her family as our nation mourns her,” Biden said.

1:26 p.m. ET, September 19, 2020

Supreme Court justices release statements on the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

From CNN's Ariane de Vogue and Joan Biskupic

Justices of the US Supreme Court sit for their official group photo in 2018. From left, Justice Stephen G. Breyer, Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, Justice Clarence Thomas, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., Justice Elena Kagan, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh and Justice Samuel A. Alito. Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post/Getty Images

The remaining Supreme Court justices have released statements following the death of their colleague Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Read excerpts from their statements below:

Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr.

"Our nation has lost a jurist of historic stature. We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague. Today we mourn, but with confidence that future generations will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg as we knew her — a tireless and resolute champion of justice."

Justice Clarence Thomas

"My wife, Virginia, and I are heartbroken to learn of the passing of our friend, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Ruth and I first met when I began my tenure on the DC Circuit in 1990. With the exception of the brief period between our respective appointments to the Supreme Court, we have since been judicial colleagues. Through the many challenges both professionally and personally, she was the essence of grace, civility and dignity. She was a superb judge who gave her best and exacted the best from each of us, whether in agreement or disagreement. And, as outstanding as she was as a judge, she was an even better colleague – unfailingly gracious, thoughtful, and civil."

Justice Stephen G. Breyer

"I heard of Ruth’s death while I was reciting the Mourner’s Kaddish at the Rosh Hashanah service. I thought:
a great Justice;
a woman of valour;
a rock of righteousness; and my good, good friend.
The world is a better place for her having lived in it.
And so is her family; her friends;
the legal community; and the nation."

Justice Samuel A. Alito

"Martha-Ann and I were deeply saddened by the news that Justice Ginsburg has passed away. Ruth and Marty made us feel at home immediately when I joined the Court, and we will certainly miss her. Justice Ginsburg will go down as a leading figure in the history of the Court. She will be remembered for her intelligence, learning, and remarkable fortitude. She has been and will continue to be an inspiration for many."

Justice Sonia Sotomayor

"My dear friend and colleague Ruth Bader Ginsburg was an American hero. She spent her life fighting for the equality of all people, and she was a pathbreaking champion of women’s rights. She served our Court and country with consummate dedication, tirelessness, and passion for justice. She has left a legacy few could rival.
I will miss Ruth greatly. She welcomed me to the Court with a warmth I could not have expected, and I came to feel a special kinship with her. She was someone whose wisdom, kindness, and unwavering support I could always rely on. I will forever cherish the moments we shared."

Justice Elena Kagan

"To me, as to countless others, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a hero. As an attorney, she led the fight
to grant women equal rights under the law. As a judge, she did justice every day--working to ensure that this country's legal system lives up to its ideals and extends its rights and protections to those once excluded. And in both roles, she held to--indeed, exceeded--the highest standards of legal craft. Her work was as careful as it was creative, as disciplined as it was visionary. It will endure for as long as Americans retain their commitment to law. Ruth reached out to encourage and assist me in my career, as she did for so many others, long before I came to the Supreme Court. And she guided and inspired me, on matters large and small, once I became her colleague."

Justice Neil M. Gorsuch

"Louise and I have lost a cherished colleague and friend. For forty years, Ruth served the American people as one of our most distinguished judges. Her sacrifices for the country were many, but always performed with honor. We are blessed by the happy memories that will remain, like traveling with Ruth to London where (to her delight) an uninformed guide kept calling her 'Ruthie,' or all the opera she tried so valiantly to teach me, or her sweet tooth at lunch, or the touching stories of her remarkable life with Marty. We will miss Ruth and our hearts go out to her family. May she rest in peace."

Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh

"No American has ever done more than Justice Ginsburg to ensure equal justice under law for women. She was a cherished colleague, and she inspired me, and all of us, with her unparalleled work ethic and devotion to the law. A meticulous and pathmarking judge, she held herself to the highest standards of precision and accuracy in her beautifully crafted opinions. And she inspired all of us to try to meet those same exacting standards. I learned from her principled voice and marveled at her wonderful wit at our weekly conferences and daily lunches. Justice Ginsburg paved the way for women to become lawyers and judges. She made it possible for women and girls like my daughters to compete on equal footing as student-athletes. When Justice Ginsburg was last in my office earlier this year, I pointed out a photo I keep of her standing with four women who served as law clerks in my chambers in my first term.
As long as I am fortunate enough to serve on the Supreme Court, I will keep that photo prominently in my office as a continuing tribute to Justice Ginsburg and as a daily reminder to work hard and pursue equal justice. May God bless Ruth Bader Ginsburg."

Justice Anthony M. Kennedy

"The members of the Court always will cherish all that Justice Ginsburg meant to us as a distinguished jurist and an inspiring, wonderful person. She will have an esteemed piece in the history of our Court. Ruth was a close, dear friend. Mary joins me in sending our deepest sympathies to her family.
In our court sessions and conferences Ruth was remarkably well prepared for every case, down to the smallest detail. If the two of us disagreed, it was always in a civil, principled, respectful way.
By her learning she taught devotion to the law. By her dignity she taught respect for others and her love for America. By her reverence for the Constitution, she taught us to preserve it to secure our freedom."

12:59 p.m. ET, September 19, 2020

Meghan Markle says Ginsburg had an "incomparable and indelible legacy"

From CNN’s Max Foster

Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, said Ruth Bader Ginsburg will "forever be known as a woman of brilliance" following her death Friday.

“With an incomparable and indelible legacy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg will forever be known as a woman of brilliance, a Justice of courage, and a human of deep conviction. She has been a true inspiration to me since I was a girl. Honor her, remember her, act for her," Markle said in a statement.

1:00 p.m. ET, September 19, 2020

Senate Judiciary Committee chairman suggests he would advance Supreme Court nominee this year

From CNN's Manu Raju and Nicky Robertson

Sen. Linsey Graham departs from the Senate Floor after a vote on Wednesday, September 16. Caroline Brehman/CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham indicated that he would attempt to advance a Supreme Court nominee from President Trump this year.

On Twitter, Graham pointed people to remarks he made on filling a Supreme Court seat earlier this year.

Graham also quoted Trump’s tweet which called for the GOP to act quickly on a nominee, saying, “I fully understand where the President is coming from.”

One of the articles Graham posted on Twitter was an interview he did with “Full Court Press with Greta Van Susteren,” in which he explained that he would try and confirm a Supreme Court nominee if there was an opening, even though it is an election year.

He told Van Susteren that he believed this situation would be different than with Merrick Garland because in this case, the Senate and the executive bodies are controlled by the same party, which was not the case in 2016.

1:58 p.m. ET, September 19, 2020

Where the search for a new Supreme Court justice stands

From CNN's Ariane de Vogue

Judge Amy Coney Barrett delivers a speech at the University of Notre Dame's Law School commencement in 2018. Robert Franklin/South Bend Tribune/AP

One source close to the process of searching for a new Supreme Court justice believes that the top of President Trump's list includes Judges Amy Coney Barrett, Barbara Lagoa and Amul Thapar.

In the run up to the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation, Trump met with both Barrett and Thapar; it's unclear if he's had a face to face meeting with Lagoa.

Some history: Barrett, Trump's nominee to the 7th circuit, is a favorite of supporters of religious liberty who point to her extensive writings on faith and the law. During her confirmation hearing, ranking member Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat, asked her if the "dogma lives loudly in her."

The comments infuriated Barrett's supporters, who said Feinstein was trying to apply a religious litmus test. In a 2013 publication affiliated with Notre Dame, Barrett was quoted as saying she thinks it is "very unlikely at this point" that the court is going to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Thapar is a long time favorite of Sen. Mitch McConnell. Thapar now sits on the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals. He was the first American of South Asian descent to be named to an Article III judgeship. Lagoa hails from Florida and was the first Hispanic woman and the first Cuban American woman on the Supreme Court in Florida. She has deep connections in the state that could be a battleground.

Watch more:

11:56 a.m. ET, September 19, 2020

What you need to know about the cancer that Ruth Bader Ginsburg was diagnosed with

From CNN's Lauren Mascarenhas

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died on Friday from complications of metastatic pancreatic cancer.

Ginsburg was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2009. Earlier this year, she announced a recurrence of the cancer, having discovered lesions on her liver.

Experts say that about 95% of people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer will die from it. There are currently no general screening tools for pancreatic cancer, and there are often no symptoms in the early stages, when the tumor would be most treatable. The cancer is often discovered at more advanced stages, sometimes when it has spread to other organs, known as metastasis.

The National Cancer Institute named pancreatic cancer as the third-leading cause of death from cancers, after lung and colorectal cancers in 2018. The institute says that about 10% of people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer will survive for five years or more.

The American Cancer Society estimates 57,600 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2020 and 47,050 will die due to the cancer.

Some context: Ginsburg is the second icon lost this year who battled with pancreatic cancer.

Civil rights icon and late US Democratic Representative John Lewis was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer last year and died this July.

Higher rates of pancreatic cancer are seen in men and African Americans. The risk of pancreatic cancer also increases with age. The average age of diagnosis is 71, and nearly 90% of patients are older than 55.

CNN’s Elizabeth Landau contributed to this report.