Thanks for spending part of your saturday evening with us. Tonight we launch our new primetime lineup and our new show, american voices. Well bring you the biggest political stories of the week, but well also stay focused on whats at stake and why it matters and bring you the perspective of those who are both doing the work of making america more equitable and those who lives are most directly impacted. To me, it is a big responsibility, a huge responsibility to get the stories you care about right and to treat them with the care that they deserve. So thats what you can expect from me and from our team. Were proud to bring you american voices. You can disagree without being disagreeable, that quote from ruth Bader Ginsburg. It is no wonder that there has been an outpouring of love and support, remembering the Supreme Court justice today. Ginsburg died yesterday from cancer complications in her washington, d. C. , home surrounded by her family. She was 87 years old. The notorious rbg, as she was called by the kids, became a pop culture icon in her later years, the subject of a biography, a biopic biopic, and an operata, to name a few. She was a warrior for those underrepresented and underserved. Mourners began gathering on the steps of the Supreme Court almost immediately following news of her death last night. Those vigils continued into today as people grasped the loss and celebrate the life of this iconic woman. In virginia, where early voting has begun, some even said that ginsburgs death inpyre einspir to action. I was planning on early voting, but this pushed it. I made sure i was here this morning. You know, i was going to do it before the election day, but with the news, i made sure i was here this morning. Ginsburgs dying wish was that the senate would not confirm her replacement until after the election. Instead, Senate Majority tleerd Mitch Mcconnell announced within hours of her death that the senate would vote on her replacement. The president spoke about it just a short time ago. Well be making a decision. I think the process can go very, very fast. Ill be making my choice soon. And when the choice is made, ill be sending it over to mitch in the senate. And they will do what they have to do. I think well have a very popular choice, whoever it may be. But well be sending it over to the senate. I think the choice will be next week, yes. I do. A brutal political battle for the future of the high court looms. The stakes are high. The fate of the aca, daca, Voting Rights, and abortion. Joining me now, melissa murray, professor of law at nyu and a former clerk to judge sonia sotomayor, joan, author of, okay, boomer, lets talk, and actress and coauthor of the book, sanctuary. Paula, i want to start with you, because you are at one of several memorials being held for the justice across the country. This, of course, came together very quickly. Tell me how it came together and what youre expecting to see there tonight. Reporter it came together very organically. I heard the news last night. I was heartbroken. I was fearful, i was enraged. And i knew that we needed to do something. We needed to pay our respects and honor the justice with the utmost love and community and organizing that we could. And i just put it out on twitter and very soon after that, various people were also responding on social media and so now we have, we have memorials setting up all across the country. Were here in new york city, we dont know how many people we will be expecting tonight, but i know that it will be beautiful and it will be the beginning of what will be sustained Political Action to make sure that no justice is nominated before inauguration. Melissa, i just want to say, President Trump has now taken the stage in North Carolina. Our producers will be listening in and we will bring you if any of that becomes relevant to our discussion. But melissa, i want to stay focused for a moment on the legacy of Justice Ginsburg. What is this outpouring of support say about her legacy . Well, i think if you are anyone who has been trained in the law or even knows a little bit about the law, you will have known something about Justice Ruth Bader ginsburg. She was an absolute icon. Someone who changed the face of equality law in this country. And the outpouring that youre seeing really is about the impact of her life and her legacy. And again, the fact that you are seeing people gather at courthouses, you are seeing the president talking about replacing her within 24 hours of her death shows you what enormous shoes she brought to the court and how big those shoes are to fill. This is someone who created a huge legacy and the president is intent on reversing that legacy. Jill, my recovering lawyer, what do you believe is the justices most indelible contribution to the history of the court . Ginsburgs work on gender equality is certainly her most indelible contribution, throughout the whole course of her career. She absolutely was jill, im going to have to stop you right there. Were going to dip into President Trump and let you come back and finish that thought. Lets take a listen. Justice and her courageous battle against cancer inspire all americans. You may agree, you may not, disagree with her, but she was an inspiration to a tremendous number of people. I say all americans. Justice ginsburgs close relationship with a friend of ours, a friend of mine, justice scalia, is also a powerful reminder that we can disagree on fundamental issues while treating each other with decency, dignity, and respect. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. So article ii of our constitution says the President Shall nominate justices of the Supreme Court. I dont imagine it can be anymore clear, can it . I dont think so. What do you think, thom. Thom tillis, i dont think it can be anymore clear. [ chanting fill the seat ] this can only happen in North Carolina i hope you hear that back home. Look at all of that press. Thats a lot of press. Thats a lot of fake news. Thats a lot of fake news. Well, i hope they hear, so the chant this is a new one. Fill that seat. This is the chant. This can only happen to me, fill that seat. No, it says the president is supposed to fill the seat, right . And thats what were going to do. Were going to fill the seat. I love that chant. We hear more chants theres a lot of genius in those chants, i have to tell you. You said it better than you can say it, you can read a speech, but whats better than those words. Fill that seat. You know what you do . You come up, you say, fill that seat, you leave and youve said everything. There have been 2 times a vacancy opened during an Election Year or prior to an inauguration. 29 times. Thats a lot. Every single time the sitting president made a nomination that included did you ever hear of George Washington . Did you ever hear of Thomas Jefferson . Or how about the great abraham lincoln, when he wore the hat, especially. With the great hat. I want to try one of those hats. I love that. Think of it. 29 times, every single time, nobody said, oh, lets not fill the seat. We won the election. Now, we have some senators that, you know, they forget it. Think of it. I wont say it. I wont say it, susan. I wont say it, susan. But thom tillis is with us. Can i tell you that . We have great republican senators. We have great people. And we have a great country. Thats really we have a great country. And were going to keep it that way. So we win an election and those are the consequences. You know, its called fill that seat and thats what were doing. The Supreme Court was a very central issue in both the 2016 president ial election and then the 2018 midterm elections. Where, by the way, i didnt run. You know, we had a lot of people, a lot of people said, oh, he really took a little bit of a she lashellacking. Not nearly as bad as others. We actually gained seats in the senate. We gained two seats. But we didnt run, and a lot of people said, sir, well never vote in 2018. I said, no, no, vote, they just didnt. I think we were like 9 Million People decided they wanted to wait. And theyve waited. And you see whats going on. You see whats happening. You see the enthusiasm that we have. Which, by the way, we set a record in 2016. The bad news for the democrats is, we are more enthusiastic now, not even close, than we were our team will continue to listen to that. I want to bring our panel back in. Jill, tough crowd there chanting fill that seat. You have the president referencing the constitution and the crowd cheering. I wonder what you make of that response. I found that response offensive and disgusting. The president cant even pronounce Ruth Bader Ginsburgs last name, gives a whole show of pretending to care about her legacy, and then not only violates her dying wish, but is surely going to try to appoint someone whos going to spit all over her legacy, who will undermine not just abortion rights, but things like access to contraception, Voting Rights, and who will essentially make it impossible for any progressive legislation to be paula, i think that jills camera just froze there. Hopefully well get her back, but i imagine that you want to pick up where she left off. I mean, what is at stake . What is on the line as the Senate Considers a possible nominee . I want to respond directly to the idea of filling that seat. Us. Our side, the people that are here tonight, the people that will continue to be out every single night will be sure that that seat is not filled. If you thought if the president thought, if the administration thought that the kavanaugh nomination was a difficult nomination, i can guarantee you that this will be tenfold more difficult. We will have more people in washington, d. C. , we will have more people out on the streets. The rage in which women have been having been forced to live right now during this pandemic, i think, is going to be seen on a scale that we havent seen before. What we want is fair, what we want is a just democracy. And we will only get that if the scotus, if the Supreme Court justice is not set until after the inauguration. Melissa, you had President Trump there saying every sitting president has made a nomination. Of course, obama didnt actually get that nomination brought up for a vote. Do you think this gets decided in the u. S. Senate or do you think this gets decided at the ballot box . Well, what will happen and what should happen may well be two different things. The truth of the matter is, is that this election is already underway. Early voting has already begun in a number of states. People are trying to make their voices heard. And their voices should be heard in the selection of a new justice. Our constitution contemplates that and the president should allow that process to happen. There should be no nomination until the inauguration of the president. Whether thats President Trump or president biden, but we should wait. And we talked about the 29 times that this has happened. As you say, the one time he does not mention is of course when president barack obama nominated Merrick Garland and leader mcconnell did not even allow garland, a noted jurist of incredible stature, to receive a vote on the floor of the senate. Its not just abortion rights, its not just Voting Rights that are at stake, the very legitimacy of this third vote is at stake in this election and this process. Jill, i want to give you the last word. You wrote a piece for the washington post, arguing that if mcconnell pushes through a swift confirmation and biden is elected, then biden should pack the court if he wins. Can you tell me what that looks like . Sure. If the republicans manage to essentially steal a second Supreme Court seat, the only way that we restore fairness is for congress to pass an act expanding the court. I think it should be by two seats, but theres some debate over that, and for biden to sign it. He has the power to do that as president. Congress has the power to do it, and that really is the only way to, as melissa said, begin a step back towards something rep semiablin resembling representative democracy. Melissa, our producers are listening to this rally and they tell me that the president has said the nominee will be a woman. I dont think there are a lot of people that would find that very surprising. That was, of course, part of their calculus. Does that change the conversation at all . No, its very clear that any woman who would be nominated by this president is one who, despite the similarity in gender, is not going to follow the legacy of ruth Bader Ginsburg. This is essentially like when Justice Clarence thomas was replacing Justice Thurgood marshall. Yes, theres another person of similar ethnic background in the seat, but the commitments are fundamental lip different. This is not a question we even need to deal with. The fundamental legitimacy of the court is at stake and to honor that legitimacy, the president needs to stand down and this needs to go to the people and the ballot box and let the people be heard. Melissa, jill, and paula, thank you all. Up next, ill speak with those impacted by most by ginsburgs decisions, and later, well talk about the brewing confirmation fight and what hangs in the balance. Confirmation fight and what hangs in the balance needles. Essential for sewing, but maybe not for people with certain inflammatory conditions. 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Ruth Bader Ginsburg used her platform on the high court to push for equality. It was evident in her decisions and especially in her dissents. In 2007, she dissent in ledbetter versus Goodyear Tire and rubber company, going against a decision that made it harder for workers to sue their employers over wage discrimination allegations. In 2015, ginsburg sided with lbgtq plus rights in a landmark decision to give samesex couples the right to marry. She voted to uphold the Affordable Care act in 2012, saving obamacare and those who still depend on it. And this summer, she voted to protect Daca Recipients from President Trumps attempts to dismantle the program, something he is still trying to do. With me now is ria tobacamar, laura packard, the founder of Health Care Voter and a stage iv cancer survivor, and juan escalante, whos awaiting his daca renewal. Laura, i want to start with you. Well be hearing a lot about obamacare in the coming weeks. And i wonder for you, what the justices decision in this case meant in terms of your life and your health. Well, health care is at risk in this election, including my health care. Im a stage iv cancer survivor and the Affordable Care act saved my life. While i was going through treatments in 2017, every day, there was renewed attacks on the aca from congress and from trump. And now it looks like theres a possibility that theyll have the votes that they needed to destroy it altogether. Not only is there the possibility of a repeal of aca, it is happening in the midst of a pandemic. It is happening as Many Americans await a vaccine, which we are being told is one of the only ways we will see our way out of this pandemic. How does the timing of this affect the larger conversation around obamacare, around aca, and around the reason that a lot of americans are planning to vote between now and november . 135 million americans have preexisting conditions. And were all at risk if they succeed. Many of us have been living sheltered at home since the pandemic, afraid to go outside to face this virus. The administration completely bo bongeled the response, so six months later, 200,000 americans are dead and were still afraid to leave our houses. And theres no end in sight on that. So now were going to turn again to taking away the health care of millions of americans . Juan, my friend, you were among some of the first people i thought about when i heard this news. Because there are a lot of americans who worry about the court and what it means for their lives. You have lived through what it means to watch a decision at that court, and know that it impacts your status in this country. So i want to hear both your reflections on Justice Ginsburgs efforts to defeat that repeal of daca and also, as you look forward to this november and beyond, to the possibility of a new court, what that means for you and for your life as a dreamer in this country. Absolutely. And i think, you know, the first and foremost, you know, consequence that we need to acknowledge of Justice Ginsburgs passing is that her legacy