A few days ago President Trump announced his third Supreme Court nominee in as many years, Amy Coney Barrett, pushing to quickly fill the seat left empty following the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg just one week ago.

While it is the job of the president to nominate a justice, and of the Senate to vet and confirm, it is also the design of our democracy that the American people elect the president and the members of the Senate who serve in those roles.

Voting is already under way in this pivotal election, and, as Justice Ginsburg expressed to her granddaughter before her death, nomination of the next Supreme Court justice should be made by the next President. Instead, President Trump is rushing forward in a process that will only create more polarization and division, and cause damage to the credibility of the Court.

You can still contact your Senators and let them know the confirmation process should not move forward until after inauguration day 2021.

The decision of who will take a lifetime seat on our nation’s highest court is of critical importance to all of us, and the U.S. Senate has a responsibility to vet in exacting detail anyone who seeks that role, whether that is Amy Coney Barrett or someone else. This is not a process that should be rushed through for political gain.

Justice Ginsburg leaves a legacy of integrity, disciplined legal thinking, and a conviction that our Constitution is there to protect the rights of all. The next Associate Justice to take her seat should share that commitment to moving us closer to the nation of equals we aspire to be.

No matter how this confirmation process proceeds, our collective work for justice must and will continue. We each have the opportunity and responsibility to stay engaged and to fight for the just society we believe in.

One way to do that now is to make sure you and everyone you know has a plan to vote so that your voice is heard.

And with your support, GLAD will never stop fighting to ensure our Constitution’s promise of equal justice under law for all is realized.