Cory Booker: “I rise at a time of great grief in our country. We have seen 200,000 fellow Americans perish due to COVID. In addition…”

“I rise at a time of great grief in our country. We have seen 200,000 fellow Americans perish due to COVID. In addition to that, we have seen heroes in our Nation fall during this period as well. Still, we have a heavy heart as we have seen the passing of civil rights greats like C.T. Vivian and, of course, our colleague in the House of Representatives, John Lewis. In many ways, we are walking through the valley of a shadow of death, but as our fellow Americans fall, it is apt that we give tribute to their character, to the values and virtues which marked their lives, and to the truth and ideals that they carried for their lives and how they advanced to us so that we might have better lives. Truly, if we are recognizing those values and those virtues, then, the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a time that calls upon Americans to pause and recognize her extraordinary life. She was a woman of small physical stature, but she was truly a giant amongst us. Even before her years as a Supreme Court Justice, she championed the rights of Americans and the ideals we hold so dear. She advanced the cause of liberty and equality and the understanding, as it says, literally, on the Supreme Court wall, of ``Equal Justice Under Law.'' This spirit that she fought for was buttressed by her massive intellect, her acumen, her skill, and her strategy that were seen in her career as a lawyer, as well as her opinions and work as a Justice.…”