memeorandum: The winner of the Arizona Senate race could be seated in time for a vote on a Supreme Court pick. (Glenn Thrush/New York Times)

3:15 PM ET, September 19, 2020

Top Items:

Nina Totenberg / NPR:

A 5-Decade-Long Friendship That Began With A Phone Call — In 1971, newly assigned to cover the Supreme Court, I was reading a brief in what would ultimately be the landmark case of Reed v. Reed. It argued that the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause applied to women.

Discussion: Reason

Nina Totenberg / NPR:

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Champion Of Gender Equality, Dies At 87 — Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the demure firebrand who in her 80s became a legal, cultural, and feminist icon has died. The Supreme Court announced her death, saying the cause was complications from cancer.

Discussion: Washington Post, Axios, Breitbart, The Daily Caller, NBC News, Marquette University, Associated Press, Vox, Politico, The Atlantic, Slate, The Wrap, Fox News, New York Times, Raw Story, CNN, Mother Jones, Redstate, Bloomberg, The Nation, Washington Monthly, New Republic, ImmigrationProf Blog, Bangor Daily News, Mediaite, IJR, Outside the Beltway, Common Dreams, The Week, The National Interest, Gothamist, Talking Points Memo, Los Angeles Times, PinkNews, bet.com, myfox8.com, CBS Pittsburgh, Informed Comment, WORLD, Little Green Footballs, Wall Street Journal, Reason, The Ringer, Variety, KCLO-TV, Snopes.com, The Moderate Voice, BuzzFeed News, Rolling Stone, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, The Hill, Supreme Court …, No More Mister Nice Blog, Entertainment Tonight, KFOR-TV, New York Post, Balloon Juice, BuzzFeed News, NBC Bay Area, American Prospect, WPRI-TV, The 19th, Althouse, Rewire.News, TheJournal.ie, Blue Virginia, WGN-TV, Daily Kos, Axios, OutKick, The Root, Vanity Fair, KSNT-TV, CNN, KRON4 and electionlawblog.org

Amanda Carpenter / The Bulwark:

Mitch McConnell's Calculation — There is going to be a SCOTUS vote before the election — Anyone who has observed Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's career knows there are only two things he cares about: maintaining his Senate majority leader position and confirming judges.

Discussion: New York Times, Vox, Law & Crime, VICE, Boston Herald, NPR, Raw Story, MyNorthwest.com, POLITICUSUSA, The Hill, Newsbusters, TMZ.com, Catholic Herald, Daily Kos, Louder With Crowder, Twitchy and Politico

Barack Obama:

My Statement on the Passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg — Sixty years ago, Ruth Bader Ginsburg applied to be a Supreme Court clerk. She'd studied at two of our finest law schools and had ringing recommendations. But because she was a woman, she was rejected.

Discussion: New York Times, The Gateway Pundit, Althouse, Talking Points Memo, GEN, Breitbart, Vox, The Guardian, NPR, New York Post, U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell, TheBlaze, Outside the Beltway, Washington Post, Newsy, Daily Kos, IJR, KXAN-TV, The Hill, The Week, Slate, The Wrap, Redstate, KRON4 and KSNT-TV

Shane Goldmacher / New York Times:

Democrats shatter ActBlue's donation records after Ginsburg's death. — Democratic donors gave more money online in the 9 p.m. hour Friday after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death was announced — $6.2 million — than in any other single hour since ActBlue, the donation-processing site, was started 16 years ago.

Discussion: BuzzFeed News, NPR, The Hill, Mediaite, Rolling Stone, The Week, The Colorado Sun, Common Dreams, Slate, The Guardian and Vox

Edward-Isaac Dovere / The Atlantic:

What Republican Senators Say in Private — N, early every reporter in Washington has experienced it: A Republican member of Congress says “off the record,” shifts into a quieter voice, and expresses how much he or she doesn't like President Donald Trump. Soon after, you watch …

Discussion: New York Times, The Wrap and The Hill

Rebecca Traister / The Cut:

It Shouldn't Have Come Down to Her Some will try to blame Ruth Bader Ginsburg for not stepping down sooner. They are missing the point. — She died at the Jewish New Year, and my family is not religious. But I had been so happy, in this time of being far from our loved ones …

Discussion: Washington Post

Glenn Thrush / New York Times:

The winner of the Arizona Senate race could be seated in time for a vote on a Supreme Court pick. — If Mark Kelly, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Arizona, unseats Senator Martha McSally, a Republican who was appointed to her seat and began serving last year, he could be sworn in as early as Nov. 30 …

Discussion: NBC News, Jacobin, Arizona Republic, The Guardian, The Hill, Politico, Bulwark+ and TMI

Jonathan V. Last / The Bulwark:

Ruth Bader Ginsburg and the Coming Political Crisis — The annus horribilis of 2020 lurches on. — Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died at age 87, while in harness as an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court. — She remained at her post for 21 years after being diagnosed with cancer.

Discussion: Raw Story, Bangor Daily News, The Daily Caller, Mediaite, Spectator USA, Vox, Outside the Beltway, Radio Iowa, New York Times, Chicago Sun-Times, New York Post, The Gateway Pundit, Politico and Associated Press

Jesse Paul / The Colorado Sun:

Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death pours intensity on, could reshape Colorado's hotly contested Senate race — With 45 days until the 2020 election, Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death Friday promises to add more intensity to Colorado's hotly contested U.S. Senate race and will likely force both campaigns to change strategy in the final stretch.

Discussion: New York Times, Washington Post, Iowa Starting Line and WHTM-TV

Politico:

Trump team weighs whether to interview new candidates for high court — President Donald Trump and his team are weighing a key decision this weekend: whether to nominate a Supreme Court candidate who already has been carefully vetted and interviewed, or take extra time to select someone newer …

Discussion: CNBC, NPR and KRON4

Katelyn Burns / Vox:
Democratic donors raised millions after Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death

Discussion: New York Times, Just The News and Outside the Beltway

Jill Filipovic / Washington Post:
If McConnell pushes through a nominee, President Biden should pack the court

Discussion: Mother Jones, The Week, The Daily Caller, LifeNews.com, TheJournal.ie and KNSD-TV

Jonathan Cohn / HuffPost: What Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Death Could Mean For The Obamacare Hearing Nov. 10

New York Times:
Polls Have Shown Voters Prefer Biden to Pick Next Justice

Discussion: Slate, Daily Kos, Politico, POLITICUSUSA, TheJournal.ie, KSNT-TV, MyNorthwest.com and No More Mister Nice Blog

Michael Tomasky / The Daily Beast:
Here Are the Ways to Stop Mitch and Trump From Replacing RBG

Discussion: Raw Story

Richard Hine / Unprecedented:
A Moment of Grief and Terror

Discussion: The Daily Caller, NBC News and NPR

Tim Alberta / Politico:
The Reason Why Trump Might Delay Replacing Ginsburg

Discussion: The Daily Beast, NBC News, Erick Erickson's Confessions …, Daily Kos, Washington Times, Breitbart, Washington Post, Bloomberg, Raw Story and Axios

Peter Baker / New York Times:
Trump Presses for New Justice ‘Without Delay’ as Election-Season Battle Looms

Discussion: Vox, Raw Story, The Federalist, ABC News, Bloomberg, Washington Times, Slate, The Daily Caller, Politico, NPR, New York Post, Just The News, POLITICUSUSA and The Hill

Elie Mystal / The Nation:
Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Dying Wish: DISSENT!

Discussion: Just The News, Forbes, Reuters, Data For Progress, Washington Post, Politico and New York Post

Dahlia Lithwick / Slate:
What Ruth Bader Ginsburg Would Want America to Do Now

Discussion: The Dispatch, The Atlantic and Washington Post

Phil Helsel / NBC News:
Obama on filling Ginsburg's seat: Apply rules with consistency

Discussion: New York Post, Talking Points Memo, Politico, The Daily Caller, Washington Times and Toledo Blade

CNN:
McConnell vows Trump's nominee to replace Ginsburg will get Senate vote, setting up historic fight

Discussion: New York Post, Michigan Advance, Forbes, KCRG-TV, The Hill, USA Today, GZERO, The Signorile Report, The Root and Lawyers, Guns & Money

Jill Lepore / New Yorker:
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Great Equalizer

Discussion: Balkinization, New Republic, The Guardian and New York Times

Brooke Singman / Fox News:
Trump urges Republicans to fill Ginsburg vacancy ‘without delay’

Discussion: Redstate, Townhall, NBC News, Washington Post, Orlando Sentinel, Breitbart, The Hill, Raw Story, NBC Boston, The Week and One America News Network

Washington Post:
Fierce political battle heats up over whether to replace Ginsburg as tributes pour in

Discussion: Politico

New York Times:
2020 Election Live Updates: In Minnesota, Biden Paints Trump as ‘Looking Down’ at the Middle Class

Discussion: Bloomberg, Mother Jones, Washington Post, Axios, The Wrap, Political Wire, Forbes, Reason, Vox, No More Mister Nice Blog, Los Angeles Times, Las Vegas Review-Journal, DeadState, Blue Virginia, Washingtonian, Bangor Daily News and The Mahablog

Arizona Republic:
Mark Kelly could be sworn into the U.S. Senate early if he wins race, experts say

Discussion: Washington Post, Vox and IJR

Adam Liptak / New York Times:
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Dies at 87

Discussion: Mother Jones, Power Line, Yahoo Entertainment, Breitbart, Variety, Gothamist, The Wrap, Twitchy, IndieWire, Labor 411, The American Conservative and Mediaite

Axios:
Trump, McConnell to move fast to replace Ginsburg

Discussion: Politico, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Townhall, Raw Story, Bangor Daily News, Poynter, Daily Kos, Mediaite, The American Independent, BuzzFeed News, Bloomberg and Twitchy

ABC News:
Donald Trump to put forth nominee to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in coming days: Sources

Discussion: Axios, Reuters, New York Times, Breitbart, Politico, The Hill, Althouse, New York Post, Daily Kos, POLITICUSUSA, NBC News and Balloon Juice

Irin Carmon / New York Magazine:
The Glorious RBG I learned, while writing about her, that her precision disguised her warmth.

Discussion: Washington Post, Raw Story, Vox and ACLU

Devin Dwyer / ABC News:
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, powerhouse Supreme Court Justice, dies at 87

Discussion: FiveThirtyEight, Redstate, NBC News and Washington Post

Tierney Sneed / Talking Points Memo:
3 Big Ways RBG's Death Could Have An Immediate SCOTUS Impact

Discussion: Japan Times, Breitbart and Politico

Brooke Singman / Fox News:
McConnell: Trump's Supreme Court nominee ‘will receive a vote on the floor of the United States Senate’

Discussion: Townhall, The Gateway Pundit, The American Spectator, Vox, The Hill, Just The News, Daily Kos, Bloomberg, Reason, Slate and Mediaite

Katie Benner / New York Times:

Ricin Is Said to Have Been Sent to White House — Federal investigators are working to track down who sent it and determine whether other envelopes have been sent through the postal system. — WASHINGTON — An envelope addressed to the White House contained a substance …

Evan Perez / CNN:

A package containing the poison ricin and addressed to Trump intercepted by law enforcement — (CNN)A package containing the poison ricin and addressed to President Donald Trump was intercepted by law enforcement earlier this week, according to two law enforcement officials.

NBC News:

U.S. Covid-19 death toll surpasses 200,000 — In the predawn hours of March 30, Dr. Deborah Birx stepped in front of the camera on the White House lawn and made an alarming prediction about the coronavirus, which had, by then, killed fewer than 3,000 people in the United States.

Discussion: Mother Jones

David Sims / The Atlantic:

Antebellum Isn't Just Bad—It's Vile — This story contains spoilers for the film Antebellum. — Antebellum is the kind of film that requires true storytelling daring to pull off. A horror movie that blurs history, fantasy, and darkest nightmare, it would only work with the cleverest calibration …