Captioning sponsored by WNET >> Sreenivasan: ON THIS EDITION FOR SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 19: REMEMBERING SUPREME COURT JUSTICE RUTH BADER GINSBERG.

AND, THE POLITICAL BATTLE AHEAD OVER WHO FILLS HER SEAT, AND WHEN.

NEXT, ON PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND.

>> PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND IS MADE POSSIBLE BY: SUE AND EDGAR WACHENHEIM III.

THE ANDERSON FAMILY FUND.

BERNARD AND DENISE SCHWARTZ.

THE CHERYL AND PHILIP MILSTEIN FAMILY.

BARBARA HOPE ZUCKERBERG.

THE LEONARD AND NORMA KLORFINE FOUNDATION.

CHARLES ROSENBLUM.

WE TRY TO LIVE IN THE MOMENT, TO NOT MISS WHAT'S RIGHT IN FRONT OF US.

AT MUTUAL OF AMERICA, WE BELIEVE TAKING CARE OF TOMORROW CAN HELP YOU MAKE THE MOST OF TODAY.

MUTUAL OF AMERICA FINANCIAL GROUP, RETIREMENT SERVICES AND INVESTMENTS.

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT HAS BEEN PROVIDED BY: CONSUMER CELLULAR.

AND BY: AND BY THE CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING, A PRIVATE CORPORATION FUNDED BY THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.

AND BY CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR PBS STATION FROM VIEWERS LIKE YOU.

THANK YOU.

>> Sreenivasan: GOOD EVENING, AND THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.

RUTH BADER GINSBURG, THE SECOND WOMAN TO SERVE AS A U.S. SUPREME COURT JUSTICE, WHO BECAME THE LEADER OF THE COURT'S LIBERAL WING, DIED YESTERDAY AT THE AGE OF 87.

GINSBURG WAS AT HOME WITH HER FAMILY.

HER DEATH WAS DUE TO COMPLICATIONS FROM METASTATIC PANCREATIC CANCER.

OUTSIDE THE SUPREME COURT, WHERE SHE SERVED FOR 27 YEARS, MOURNERS CONTINUED TO ADD TO AN INFORMAL MEMORIAL THAT BEGAN LAST NIGHT WITH CANDLES, FLOWERS AND NOTES TO THE JUSTICE.

PRESIDENT TRUMP HEARD THE NEWS OF GINSBURG'S DEATH FROM REPORTERS AS HE LEFT A CAMPAIGN RALLY IN MINNESOTA LATE YESTERDAY.

>> YOU ARE TELLING ME NOW FOR THE FIRST TIME.

SHE LED AN AMAZING LIFE.

WHAT ELSE CAN YOU SAY?

SHE WAS AN AMAZING WOMAN-- WHETHER YOU AGREED OR NOT-- SHE WAS AN AMAZING WOMAN WHO LED AN AMAZING LIFE.

I AM ACTUALLY SADDENED TO HEAR THAT.

I AM SADDENED TO HEAR THAT.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

>> Sreenivasan: THIS MORNING, THE PRESIDENT TWEETED TO FELLOW REPUBLICANS THAT SELECTING A SUPREME COURT JUSTICE IS "THE MOST IMPORTANT" OF DECISIONS, AND "WE HAVE THIS OBLIGATION WITHOUT DELAY!"

DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE, FORMER VICE PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN, CALLED ON THE REPUBLICAN- CONTROLLED SENATE TO WAIT UNTIL AFTER THE NOVEMBER ELECTION TO CONSIDER A NOMINATION TO THE COURT.

>> YOU KNOW, TONIGHT, AND IN THE COMING DAYS, WE SHOULD FOCUS ON THE LOSS OF HER, THE JUSTICE, AND HER ENDURING LEGACY.

BUT THERE IS NO DOUBT, LET ME BE CLEAR, THAT THE VOTERS SHOULD PICK THE PRESIDENT AND THE PRESIDENT SHOULD PICK THE JUSTICE FOR THE SENATE TO CONSIDER.

>> Sreenivasan: TODAY AT BOTH THE U.S. CAPITOL AND THE WHITE HOUSE, FLAGS WERE LOWERED TO HALF STAFF IN GINSBURG'S HONOR.

NEWSHOUR'S AMNA NAWAZ HAS MORE ON THE LIFE AND CAREER OF JUSTICE RUTH BADER GINSBURG.

>> SERVING ON THIS COURT IS THE HIGHEST HONOR, THE MOST AWESOME TRUST THAT CAN BE PLACED IN A JUDGE.

>> Nawaz: SHE WAS BORN RUTH JOAN BADER IN 1933 IN BROOKLYN, NEW YORK TO PARENTS OF UKRAINIAN AND AUSTRIAN DESCENT.

>> WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A BOOKKEEPER IN NEW YORK CITY'S GARMENT DISTRICT, AND A SUPREME COURT JUSTICE?

ONE GENERATION.

MY OWN LIFE BEARS WITNESS.

>> Nawaz: THE YOUNG RUTH BADER GRADUATED FIRST IN HER CLASS FROM CORNELL UNIVERSITY IN 1954.

THAT SAME YEAR, SHE MARRIED MARTIN GINSBURG.

HE BECAME A LAWYER AND ENCOURAGED HER TO DO THE SAME.

>> I HAVE HAD THE GREAT GOOD FORTUNE TO SHARE LIFE WITH A PARTNER TRULY EXTRAORDINARY FOR HIS GENERATION.

A MAN WHO BELIEVED AT AGE 18 WHEN WE MET, THAT A WOMAN'S WORK, WHETHER AT HOME OR ON THE JOB, IS AS IMPORTANT AS A MAN'S.

>> Nawaz: GINSBURG WAS ONE OF JUST NINE WOMEN IN HER ENTERING CLASS AT HARVARD LAW SCHOOL.

IT WAS 1956.

THE DEAN ADMONISHED THE WOMEN FOR TAKING SPOTS THAT COULD HAVE GONE TO MEN.

DESPITE THAT, SHE BECAME THE FIRST WOMAN TO JOIN THE PRESTIGIOUS HARVARD LAW REVIEW AND ALL THE WHILE CARED FOR HER YOUNG CHILDREN AND HER HUSBAND RECOVERING FROM CANCER.

GINSBURG ENDED UP TRANSFERRING TO COLUMBIA LAW SCHOOL AND GRADUATED FIRST IN HER CLASS.

MANY LAW FIRMS STILL BALKED AT HIRING WOMEN, BUT SHE LANDED TEACHING JOBS AND EVENTUALLY BECAME COLUMBIA LAW SCHOOL'S FIRST FEMALE TENURED PROFESSOR.

DURING THE 1970s, SHE WORKED WITH THE AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION, ARGUING SIX LANDMARK CASES ON GENDER EQUALITY BEFORE THE U.S. SUPREME COURT, AND WINNING FIVE OF THEM.

>> SEX, LIKE RACE, HAS BEEN MADE THE BASIS FOR UNJUSTIFIED OR AT LEAST UNPROVED ASSUMPTIONS CONCERNING AN INDIVIDUAL'S POTENTIAL TO PERFORM OR TO CONTRIBUTE TO SOCIETY.

>> Nawaz: IN 1980, PRESIDENT CARTER NAMED GINSBURG TO THE U.S. COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

IT WAS ANOTHER MILESTONE MOMENT, AS SHE TOLD THE NEWSHOUR IN 2016.

>> IT WOULD NOT BE A REALISTIC AMBITION FOR A WOMAN TO WANT TO BECOME A FEDERAL JUDGE.

IT WAS NOT REALISTIC UNTIL JIMMY CARTER BECAME OUR PRESIDENT.

HE LOOKED AROUND AT THE FEDERAL JUDICIARY AND SAID, THAT'S NICE, BUT THEY ALL LOOK LIKE ME.

THAT'S NOT HOW THE GREAT UNITED STATES LOOKS.

>> Nawaz: GINSBURG SERVED ON THE APPEALS COURT FOR 13 YEARS UNTIL PRESIDENT CLINTON NOMINATED HER TO THE SUPREME COURT.

SHE WAS OVERWHELMINGLY CONFIRMED BY THE SENATE... >> I, RUTH BADER GINSBERG, DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR... >> Nawaz: ...AND WENT ON TO BECOME ONE OF THE COURT'S MOST PROLIFIC WRITERS AND FREQUENT QUESTIONERS, AS WELL AS THE SENIOR MEMBER OF ITS LIBERAL BLOC.

STILL, GINSBURG BECAME CLOSE FRIENDS WITH AN IDEOLOGICAL OPPOSITE, CONSERVATIVE COLLEAGUE ANTONIN SCALIA.

SHE EULOGIZED HIM AFTER HIS DEATH IN 2016.

>> ONCE ASKED HOW WE COULD BE FRIENDS, GIVEN OUR DISAGREEMENT ON LOTS OF THINGS.

JUSTICE SCALIA ANSWERED, I ATTACK IDEAS.

I DON'T ATTACK PEOPLE.

SOME VERY GOOD PEOPLE HAVE SOME VERY BAD IDEAS.

( LAUGHTER ) >> Nawaz: PRIVATELY, GINSBURG ALSO FACED A NUMBER OF HEALTH COMPLICATIONS.

IN 1999, SHE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH COLON CANCER.

A DECADE LATER, SHE WAS TREATED FOR PANCREATIC CANCER.

IN 2014, SHE UNDERWENT A HEART PROCEDURE TO HAVE A STENT IMPLANTED.

THEN CAME SURGERY FOR LUNG CANCER IN 2019.

BUT GINSBURG NEVER SLOWED DOWN FOR LONG, WORKING OUT WITH A PERSONAL TRAINER TWICE A WEEK.

AND SHE REMAINED A STAUNCH ADVOCATE FOR WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN THE COURTROOM AND BEYOND.

>> Sreenivasan: RUTH BADER GINSBURG'S LEGACY BEGAN IN THE MIDWOOD SECTION OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, WHERE SHE WAS BORN AND RAISED.

I SPOKE WITH NEWSHOUR WEEKEND'S IVETTE FELICIANO, WHO WAS OUTSIDE OF GINSBURG'S CHILDHOOD HOME TODAY.

>> HARI, I'M HERE ON EAST 9TH STREET ON A BEAUTIFUL TREE-LINED BLOCK.

IT'S IN A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT BORDERS MIDWOOD AND GRAVES END.

IT'S LONG BEEN KNOWN AS A JEWISH NEIGHBORHOOD.

AND GINSBURG WAS BORN TO A JEWISH FAMILY IN 1933.

SHE WENT TO GRADE SCHOOL JUST A FEW BLOCKS AWAY FROM HERE AND THEN GRADUATED FROM JAMES MADISON HIGH SCHOOL, WHERE BERNIE SANDERS, NEW YORK SENATOR CHUCK SCHUMER AND JUDGE JUDY ALL ATTENDED.

>> Sreenivasan: ALL RIGHT.

SO WHAT ABOUT THE HOUSE THAT SHE GREW UP IN?

STILL A HOUSE?

STILL A RESIDENCE?

>> IT IS STILL.

THERE'S A FAMILY HERE.

I WAS SPEAKING TO THE OWNERS, DIANA AND WILLIAM BRENHEISEN.

THEY'VE LIVED HERE FOR ABOUT 50 YEARS, AND SAY ASIDE FROM THE SIDING ON THE HOUSE, IT'S REMAINED LARGELY UNCHANGED.

AND THEY HAD HEARD FOR YEARS RUMORS THAT GINSBURG GREW UP IN THIS HOME, BUT THEY DIDN'T KNOW FOR SURE UNTIL BILL CLINTON NOMINATED HER TO THE SUPREME COURT IN 1993.

>> MY GIRLS CALLED ME ON THE JOB, "MA, THE MEDIA'S HERE."

( LAUGHS ) "RUTH GINSBURG IS NOMINATED.

SHE LIVED HERE."

THAT'S JUST WHEN WE FOUND OUT!

>> AND WAS THAT MEANINGFUL?

>> IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL EXPERIENCE JUST TO KNOW, AND TO BE PART OF OUR HISTORY, IN A SENSE.

>> Sreenivasan: ANY PLANS FOR MEMORIALIZING THE SPACE OR ANY PEOPLE STOPPING BY?

>> YEAH, WE HAVEN'T SEEN A HUGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE STOPPING BY.

A FEW PEOPLE HAVE COME BY TO DROP OFF FLOWERS IN FRONT OF HER HOME.

BUT ACTUALLY, NEW YORK GOVERNOR ANDREW CUOMO ANNOUNCED THAT BROOKLYN WILL BE RECEIVING A STATUE IN HONOR OF GINSBURG'S MEMORY AND LIFE AND HE'LL BE APPOINTING A COMMISSION TO CHOOSE THE LOCATION AND ARTIST FOR THAT.

>> Sreenivasan: ALL RIGHT.

NEWSHOUR WEEKEND'S IVETTE FELICIANO JOINING US FROM BROOKLYN.

THANKS SO MUCH.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Sreenivasan: NEWS OF JUSTICE GINSBURG'S DEATH LAST NIGHT, 47 DAYS BEFORE THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, CAUSED DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS TO IMMEDIATELY FOCUS ON BOTH THE WHO AND THE WHEN OF REPLACING HER.

NEWSHOUR CORRESPONDENT LISA DESJARDINS HAS MORE ON THE POLITICAL BATTLE OVER THE NEXT SUPREME COURT NOMINEE.

>> Reporter: SENATE MAJORITY LEADER MITCH McCONNELL CONTROLS THE AGENDA OF THE SENATE, AND HE HAS MADE IT VERY CLEAR-- HE SAID THERE WILL BE A VOTE ON PRESIDENT TRUMP'S NOMINEE TO THE SUPREME COURT.

WHAT WE DON'T KNOW FROM SENATOR McCONNELL-- PERHAPS WHAT HE ISN'T SURE OF YET-- IS WHEN THAT VOTE WOULD BE, WHETHER IT WILL BE BEFORE THE ELECTION, OR AFTER THE ELECTION.

ALSO, WE DON'T KNOW HOW MANY REPUBLICAN VOTES HE HAS FOR THIS.

McCONNELL NEEDS 50 VOTES TO ADVANCE THIS NOMINATION.

HE HAS 53 REPUBLICANS IN THE SENATE.

ALREADY, ONE OF THEM, SENATOR LISA MURKOWSKI OF ALASKA, HAS SAID SHE CAN'T SUPPORT MOVING FORWARD WITH A NOMINATION AT THIS TIME, THAT IT IS SIMPLY TOO CLOSE TO THE ELECTION.

MANY WILL REMEMBER, McCONNELL MADE A SIMILAR ARGUMENT IN 2016 WHEN HE BLOCKED THE NOMINATION OF MERRICK GARLAND BY PRESIDENT OBAMA.

THAT WAS MORE THAN EIGHT MONTHS BEFORE THE ELECTION THEN.

MEANTIME, SENATE DEMOCRATS HELD A CONFERENCE CALL TODAY.

THEIR LEADER, CHUCK SCHUMER, STRESSING THE STAKES THAT ARE INVOLVED IN THIS NOMINATION, AND ALSO, MAKING A THREAT, SAYING THAT IF SENATE REPUBLICANS MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS NOMINATION, ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING IS ON THE TABLE NEXT YEAR.

PROCEDURALLY, THAT WOULD MEAN DEMOCRATS WOULD ESSENTIALLY GO TO WAR WITH REPUBLICANS IF THEY PUSH THROUGH THIS NOMINATION.

>> Sreenivasan: FOR MORE ON THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF SUPREME COURT JUSTICE RUTH BADER GINSBERG, VISIT www.pbs.org/newshour.

>> Sreenivasan: FOR MORE ON JUSTICE GINSBURG AND WHAT COMES NEXT AT THE COURT, I SPOKE WITH MARCIA COYLE, CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT FOR THE "NATIONAL LAW JOURNAL," AND AMY HOWE, CO-FOUNDER OF THE SCOTUS BLOG.

MARCIA COYLE, I'M GOING TO START WITH YOU.

HOW SIGNIFICANT WAS RUTH BADER GINSBURG TO THE SUPREME COURT AS WE KNOW IT, AT LEAST IN THE MODERN ERA?

>> WELL, I THINK THAT SHE'S BEEN VERY SIGNIFICANT.

EVEN THOUGH SHE HAS OFTEN BEEN IN DISSENT, HER DISSENTS HAVE BEEN VERY POWERFUL.

SHE ALSO WROTE SOME VERY IMPORTANT MAJORITY OPINIONS.

AND YOU PROBABLY REMEMBER, HARI, HER OPINION AT THE VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE, IN WHICH SHE LED THE COURT'S MAJORITY IN STRIKING DOWN THE MALE-ONLY POLICY AT THE MILITARY INSTITUTE.

SO I THINK THAT SHE WAS QUITE A TOWERING FIGURE IN MANY-- IN MANY RESPECTS, AND IMPORTANT TO THE SUPREME COURT.

>> Sreenivasan: AMY HOWE, WHEN YOU WERE WRITING THE OBITUARY FOR HER AND-- AND LOOK BACK AT HER LEGACY, YOU FOCUSED ON SOME OF THOSE CASES THAT SHE TRIED AS A LAWYER AND HOW IMPORTANT THEY WERE IN FRONT OF THE COURT.

>> YES, AND SHE HAD REALLY A REMARKABLE STRATEGY.

MANY OF THE PLAINTIFFS IN THE CASES THAT SHE BROUGHT TO THE SUPREME COURT AS A YOUNG LAWYER IN THE 1970s WERE ACTUALLY MEN, AND IT WAS NOT AN ACCIDENT.

SHE WANTED TO APPEAL TO THE JUDGES AND THE JUSTICES, MANY OF WHOM-- MOST OF WHOM AT THAT TIME WERE MEN, AND HAVE THEM SEE THAT MANY OF THE LAWS THAT SHE BELIEVED HARMED WOMEN WERE BASED ON THE IDEA OF PLACING WOMEN ON A PEDESTAL, BUT THEY ACTUALLY AFFECTED MEN AND CHILDREN.

AND SO ONE OF THE CASES, FOR EXAMPLE, WAS A CASE IN WHICH SHE REPRESENTED A MAN WHO'D BEEN WIDOWED, LEFT WITH AN INFANT SON, AND HE WANTED TO STAY HOME TO TAKE CARE OF HIS-- HIS INFANT SON.

AND IF HE'D BEEN A WOMAN, HE WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO RECEIVE SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS TO DO THAT.

BUT BECAUSE HE WAS A MAN, THE LAW WOULDN'T PROVIDE HIM WITH SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS.

AND SO JUSTICE GINSBURG, THEN RUTH BADER GINSBURG AND A LAWYER FOR THE A.C.L.U., TOOK THE CASE TO THE SUPREME COURT AND CHANGED THAT.

>> SHE ALSO SERVED AS A REMINDER TO THE OTHER JUSTICES ON THE BENCH OF HOW THE WORK WORLD REALLY OPERATED.

AND THERE WAS THE CASE, THE LILLY LEDBETTER FAIR PAY CASE, IN WHICH, EVEN THOUGH SHE LOST THAT CASE, IN DISSENT, SHE CALLED-- BASICALLY CALLED ON CONGRESS TO DEAL WITH THIS SITUATION, SINCE THE SUPREME COURT WOULD NOT.

AND CONGRESS DID RESPOND.

AND IT WAS THE FIRST LAW THAT PRESIDENT OBAMA SIGNED-- THE FIRST LEGISLATION THAT PRESIDENT OBAMA SIGNED INTO LAW.

SO EVEN IN DISSENT, SHE HAD A POWERFUL INFLUENCE.

>> Sreenivasan: AMY, I WANT TO ASK, IN THE-- NOW WE HAVE JUSTICE KAGAN.

WE HAVE JUSTICE SOTOMAYOR.

BEFORE RUTH BADER GINSBURG, WE HAD SANDRA DAY O'CONNOR.

WHAT DOES SHE ADD INTO THIS MIX?

>> SHE OFTEN TALKED ABOUT HOW JUSTICE O'CONNOR SORT OF-- "MENTORED" MAY HAVE BEEN A STRONG WORD, BUT REALLY SORT OF HELPED HER ALONG WHEN SHE ARRIVED ON THE BENCH AND, YOU KNOW, WHEN SHE WAS ASSIGNED HER FIRST OPINION.

FREQUENTLY, THE FIRST OPINION FOR A NEW JUSTICE IS A RELATIVELY STRAIGHTFORWARD ONE, BUT JUSTICE GINSBURG THOUGHT IT WAS A RELATIVELY COMPLICATED ONE, AND JUSTICE O'CONNOR, WHO WAS, YOU KNOW, REALLY JUST SORT OF "NO NONSENSE," SAID TO HER, "JUST-- JUST GET IT DONE, RUTH, BEFORE THE-- HE ASSIGNS YOU THE NEXT OPINION."

AND I THINK SHE TRIED TO CARRY THAT FORWARD WITH THE NEW FEMALE JUSTICES, TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, TO HELP THEM GET SETTLED IN.

>> Sreenivasan: WHAT WAS SHE LIKE ON THE BENCH?

WHAT DID SHE ADD TO THE QUESTIONING PROCESS?

>> SHE WAS VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD, MATTER OF FACT.

SHE WAS OFTEN THE FIRST JUSTICE TO ASK A QUESTION, ALTHOUGH JUSTICE SOTOMAYOR, I THINK, HAS SURPASSED HER IN THAT.

BUT SHE WAS VERY ARTICULATE, VERY POINTED.

SHE ALSO WAS A BEAR ABOUT CASES FOLLOWING THE RULES, THAT THEY GOT TO THE COURT THE WAY THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO GET TO THE COURT.

AND IF THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THOSE RULES NOT BEING FOLLOWED, SHE WOULD HUNT IT OUT IMMEDIATELY.

SHE REALLY KNEW WHAT WE CALL CIVIL PROCEDURE LAW.

SO, SHE-- SHE WAS VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD, VERY RESPECTFUL OF OTHER LAWYERS AND ALSO HER COLLEAGUES ON THE BENCH.

SHE DIDN'T INTERRUPT MUCH, AND SHE DIDN'T ASK THAT MANY QUESTIONS.

BUT THE ONES SHE ASKED WERE VERY CONCISE AND TO THE POINT.

>> Sreenivasan: WHAT SHOULD WE BE LOOKING FOR-- AMY, I'LL START WITH YOU-- IN SOMEONE...

THERE MIGHT NOT BE ANYBODY THAT CAN FILL HER SHOES, BUT SOMEONE WHO TAKES THAT PLACE?

>> IT'S GOING TO BE REALLY INTERESTING PROCESS.

I WOULD EXPECT THE PRESIDENT TO NOMINATE SOMEONE QUITE QUICKLY.

AND, HE HAD SUGGESTED AFTER THE KAVANAUGH NOMINATION THAT HE HAD BEEN SAVING AMY CONEY BARRETT OF THE SEVENTH CIRCUIT FOR THE JUSTICE GINSBURG SEAT IF IT WERE TO BECOME AVAILABLE WHILE HE WAS THE PRESIDENT.

>> HARI, I THINK LAST NIGHT THERE WAS A LOT WRITTEN ABOUT HER DYING WISH-- THAT SHE HAD SAID THAT HER DYING WISH WAS THAT HER SEAT NOT BE FILLED TILL AFTER THE ELECTION-- AND MANY PEOPLE MIGHT TAKE THAT AS A SLAP AT PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP.

BUT THE WAY I LOOK AT IT IS SOMETHING SHE SAID BACK IN 2011 IN AN INTERVIEW.

WHAT SHE MOST CARES ABOUT, AND SHE THOUGHT HER COLLEAGUES MOST CARED ABOUT, WAS MAINTAINING THE SUPREME COURT AS AN INSTITUTION THAT WAS NOT A POLITICAL BRANCH OF GOVERNMENT, THAT IT NOT BE VIEWED AS A PARTISAN INSTITUTION.

AND ASKING THAT HER SEAT NOT BE FILLED UNTIL AFTER THE ELECTION, I THINK WAS HER WAY OF SAYING PLEASE, YOU KNOW, LET'S NOT GET INTO A HUGE PARTISAN FIGHT OVER THIS.

LET'S WAIT UNTIL AFTER THE ELECTION AND THE PARTISAN ELECTION DUST HAS SETTLED A BIT, AND THEN GO FORWARD.

AND SHE ALSO OFTEN SPOKE IN INTERVIEWS ABOUT HER DESIRE THAT THE SENATE AND THE TWO POLITICAL PARTIES IN THE SENATE FIND A WAY TO LOWER THE TEMPERATURE OF THE SUPREME COURT CONFIRMATIONS IN PARTICULAR, AND THAT, REMEMBER, TO REMIND PEOPLE THAT WHEN SHE WAS NOMINATED, SHE WHO WAS A VERY LIBERAL NOMINEE, WHO HAD WORKED FOR THE A.C.L.U., WAS CONFIRMED BY A VOTE OF 96 TO 3.

WHETHER THAT COULD HAPPEN AGAIN TODAY SEEMS UNLIKELY.

BUT STILL, I THINK THAT'S WHAT SHE MEANT BY HER DYING WISH.

"LET'S AVOID A TRULY PARTISAN DOGFIGHT."

>> Sreenivasan: MARSHA COYLE OF "NATIONAL LAW JOURNAL," AMY HOWE OF THE SCOTUS BLOG.

THANK YOU BOTH.

>> PLEASURE, HARI.

>> THANKS FOR INVITING ME.

>> Sreenivasan: RUTH BADER GINSBURG'S CAREER ON THE SUPREME COURT SPANNED DECADES, AND ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO KNEW HER BEST AND COVERED MANY OF HER LANDMARK OPINIONS IS NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO CORRESPONDENT NINA TOTENBERG.

THEY ALSO HAD A DEEP AND LONG- LASTING FRIENDSHIP.

I SPOKE WITH HER THIS MORNING FROM WASHINGTON, D.C. >> WELL, SHE WAS AMAZING.

YOU KNOW, MY LATE HUSBAND WAS VERY, VERY SICK FOR ABOUT FIVE YEARS, AND DURING THAT TIME, SHE USED TO JUST CALL UP, SCOOP ME UP, TAKE ME OUT WITH MARTY TO THE OPERA, TO DINNER AT THEIR HOUSE WITH SOMEBODY INTERESTING, ANYTHING TO SORT OF, GET MY MIND OFF OF WHAT THINGS WERE LIKE.

A BIRTHDAY PARTY FOR HER, WHERE, I HAVE A PICTURE OF THE TWO OF US WEARING LITTLE CROWNS.

AND, AT THE SAME TIME, SHE WAS THIS VERY SERIOUS PERSON WHO YOU COULD HAVE A REALLY DEEP CONVERSATION ABOUT THE LAW WITH.

NOW, MAYBE IT WASN'T DEEP FOR HER WHEN I DISCUSSED THE LAW WITH HER, BUT IT WAS DEEP FOR ME.

SHE TAUGHT ME AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT ABOUT THE LAW.

AND SHE TAUGHT ME AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT ABOUT HOW TO LIVE.

AND I HAVE TO SAY, SHE TAUGHT ME AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT ABOUT HOW TO DIE, THIS WEEK.

>> Sreenivasan: HOW SO?

>> SHE HAD HOPED TO RETIRE IN 2017 AFTER SHE THOUGHT THAT THE FIRST WOMAN PRESIDENT WOULD BE ELECTED.

WELL, FATE DEALT HER A DIFFERENT DECK OF CARDS.

AND SHE SOLDIERED ON, I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW BRAVELY, THROUGH RADIATION AND CHEMOTHERAPY AND SHINGLES AND BROKEN RIBS.

SHE COULD HAVE TAUGHT AN N.F.L.

HALFBACK A LOT ABOUT PLAYING HURT.

SHE DID IT ALL THE TIME.

AND SHE DID IT, NOT JUST IN THE FINAL YEARS OF HER LIFE.

SHE DID IT WHEN SHE HAD COLON CANCER IN '99.

SHE DID IT AGAIN TEN YEARS LATER WHEN SHE HAD PANCREATIC CANCER.

SHE DID IT WHEN SHE HAD LUNG CANCER.

AND THEN WHEN THE PANCREATIC CANCER RETURNED.

SHE DID IT OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

AND AS SHE SAID, SHE DIDN'T DO DEPRESSION.

YOU KNOW, WHEN HER BELOVED HUSBAND, MARTY, WHO SHE'D KNOWN FOR 60 YEARS-- THEY'D BEEN MARRIED, I THINK, 56 YEARS, BUT THEY'VE BEEN TOGETHER FOR 60 YEARS, WHEN HE DIED, AND IT WAS A CRUSHING THING FOR HER TO LOSE HIM-- THE NEXT DAY, SHE WAS ON THE BENCH ANNOUNCING AN OPINION THAT SHE HAD WRITTEN FOR THE COURT.

AND SHE SAID SHE DID IT BECAUSE MARTY WOULD HAVE WANTED HER TO.

>> Sreenivasan: BUT WHAT DO YOU THINK DROVE HER TO WORK THIS HARD?

I MEAN, YOU WRITE ABOUT HOW-- NOT ONLY WAS SHE DEDICATED TO THE LAW, BUT SHE WAS ALSO, FOR A LONG TIME, THE SOLE CAREGIVER FOR HER HUSBAND.

>> I THINK SHE HAD AN ENORMOUS SENSE OF PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY, DRIVE, DEVOTION TO THE LAW AND TO FAMILY.

THOSE WERE THE TWO THINGS THAT SHE CARED ABOUT MOST.

I MEAN, IN A LOT OF WAYS, SHE WAS A CONTRADICTION.

YOU KNOW, SHE WAS INTELLECTUALLY QUITE RADICAL IN SOME WAYS FOR HER TIME, WHEN SHE BEGAN HER CRUSADE FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS, TO EQUALIZE THE LAW AS IT APPLIED TO WOMEN AND MEN.

AND AT THE SAME TIME, SHE WAS THIS-- THAT SHE WAS THIS DOGGED ARCHITECT OF THE FIGHT.

SHE WAS AN INCREDIBLY RESTRAINED AND DECOROUS AND DIGNIFIED AND...

ALMOST CONSERVATIVE AND SHY PERSON.

SO THESE WERE-- THEY WERE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS, AND YOU DIDN'T ALWAYS KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON IN RUTH'S HEAD, ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE WERE THOSE LONG PAUSES BETWEEN SENTENCES.

SHE NEVER SAID, "UM," EVER.

IT WAS NOT A COMMA, FOR HER.

IT WAS NOT A WORD.

SHE WAS NOT ABOUT TO UTTER IT.

SHE THOUGHT, AND THEN SHE SPOKE.

AND SO, IN THAT WAY, SHE WAS NOT ONLY REMARKABLE, SHE WAS ESPECIALLY SPECIAL.

SHE WAS DIFFERENT THAN ANY OTHER PERSON I'VE EVER KNOWN.

>> Sreenivasan: YOU KNOW, YOU SENT OUT A TWEET, THAT I WANT TO DRAW OUR VIEWERS' ATTENTION TO, ABOUT A JEWISH TEACHING AND THE FACT THAT SHE PASSED AT ROSH HASHANAH.

>> SO, HER DAUGHTER JANE CALLED MY ATTENTION TO THIS, BECAUSE SHE DIED, OF COURSE, ON THE-- ON ROSH HASHANAH.

"A JEWISH TEACHING"-- I LOOKED THIS UP-- "SAYS THAT THOSE WHO DIE JUST BEFORE THE JEWISH NEW YEAR ARE THE ONES GOD HAS HELD BACK UNTIL THE LAST MOMENT, BECAUSE THEY WERE NEEDED THE VERY MOST, AND THEY WERE THE MOST RIGHTEOUS.

AND SO IT WAS WITH RUTH BADER GINSBURG," I SAID IN MY TWEET, "WHO DIED AS THE SUN WAS SETTING LAST NIGHT, MARKING THE BEGINNING OF ROSH HASHANAH."

>> Sreenivasan: NINA TOTENBERG, THANKS SO MUCH.

>> THANK YOU.

>> Sreenivasan: FINALLY TONIGHT, ALL FOUR FORMER LIVING U.S. PRESIDENTS ISSUED STATEMENTS PRAISING JUSTICE RUTH BADER GINSBURG AND HER CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE UNITED STATES.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA WROTE, "AS THE SECOND WOMAN EVER TO SIT ON THE HIGHEST COURT IN THE LAND, SHE WAS A WARRIOR FOR GENDER EQUALITY, SOMEONE WHO BELIEVED THAT EQUAL JUSTICE UNDER LAW ONLY HAD MEANING IF IT APPLIED TO EVERY SINGLE AMERICAN."

IN HIS STATEMENT, PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH SAID, "SHE DEDICATED MANY OF HER 87 REMARKABLE YEARS TO THE PURSUIT OF JUSTICE AND EQUALITY, AND SHE INSPIRED MORE THAN ONE GENERATION OF WOMEN AND GIRLS."

PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON, WHO NOMINATED GINSBURG FOR THE SUPREME COURT, WROTE, "RUTH BADER GINSBURG'S LIFE AND LANDMARK OPINIONS MOVED US CLOSER TO A MORE PERFECT UNION, AND HER POWERFUL DISSENTS REMINDED US THAT WE WALK AWAY FROM OUR CONSTITUTION'S PROMISE AT OUR PERIL."

AND PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER SAID, "SHE HAS BEEN A BEACON OF JUSTICE DURING HER LONG AND REMARKABLE CAREER.

WE JOIN COUNTLESS AMERICANS IN MOURNING THE LOSS OF A TRULY GREAT WOMAN."

THERE IS MUCH MORE ON THE LIFE OF SUPREME COURT JUSTICE RUTH BADER GINSBURG ON OUR WEBSITE, AND WE WILL CONTINUE COVERAGE TOMORROW ON THE BROADCAST, OF THE POSSIBLE NOMINATION OF A NEW JUSTICE.

THAT'S ALL FOR THIS EDITION OF PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND.

FOR THE LATEST NEWS UPDATES, VISIT www.pbs.org/newshour.

I'M HARI SREENIVASAN.

THANKS FOR WATCHING.

STAY HEALTHY, AND HAVE A GOOD NIGHT.

Captioning sponsored by WNET Captioned by Media Access Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org >> PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND IS MADE POSSIBLE BY: SUE AND EDGAR WACHENHEIM III.

THE ANDERSON FAMILY FUND.

BERNARD AND DENISE SCHWARTZ.

THE CHERYL AND PHILIP MILSTEIN FAMILY.

BARBARA HOPE ZUCKERBERG.

THE LEONARD AND NORMA KLORFINE FOUNDATION.

CHARLES ROSENBLUM.

WE TRY TO LIVE IN THE MOMENT, TO NOT MISS WHAT'S RIGHT IN FRONT OF US.

AT MUTUAL OF AMERICA, WE BELIEVE TAKING CARE OF TOMORROW CAN HELP YOU MAKE THE MOST OF TODAY.

MUTUAL OF AMERICA FINANCIAL GROUP, RETIREMENT SERVICES AND INVESTMENTS.

>> FOR 25 YEARS, CONSUMER CELLULAR'S GOAL HAS BEEN TO PROVIDE WIRELESS SERVICE THAT HELPS PEOPLE COMMUNICATE AND CONNECT.

WE OFFER A VARIETY OF NO-CONTRACT PLANS, AND OUR U.S.-BASED CUSTOMER SERVICE TEAM CAN HELP FIND ONE THAT FITS YOU.

TO LEARN MORE, VISIT www.consumercellular.tv.

ADDITIONAL SUPPORT HAS BEEN PROVIDED BY: AND BY THE CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING, A PRIVATE CORPORATION FUNDED BY THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.

AND BY CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR PBS STATION FROM VIEWERS LIKE YOU.

THANK YOU.