The court says she died in Phoenix on Friday, of complications related to advanced dementia and a respiratory illness.
In 2018, she announced that she had been diagnosed with “the beginning stages of dementia, probably Alzheimer’s disease.” Her husband, John O’Connor, died of complications of Alzheimer’s in 2009.
O’Connor’s nomination in 1981 by President Ronald Reagan and subsequent confirmation by the Senate ended 191 years of male exclusivity on the high court. A native of Arizona who grew up on her family’s sprawling ranch, O’Connor wasted little time building a reputation as a hard worker who wielded considerable political clout on the nine-member court.
Strictly speaking, she wasn’t above politicizing her position. In fact, she said that her final wish was for her replacement to be nominated after the next president was inaugurated. I’m all for honoring her, but it’s not honoring her to make things up.
That’s not particularly politicization one way or the other though, but merely precedent as established by the preceding Justice and McConnell’s actions. At worst it’s consistency or simply balancing the scales.
After all, RBG did not know who would win election when she died in September of 2020 before votes were cast.
So I’m not sure where you get this idea of “making things up.” If she really wanted to be political, she would’ve just resigned under Obama in the first place.