The death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg marks the sixteenth time there has been a vacancy on the Supreme Court in a presidential election year. The vacancy in Ginsburg’s seat comes the second closest to the election of any of these vacancies, which date back to 1804. The closest to Election Day a Supreme Court vacancy has occurred was in 1864. Chief Justice Roger Taney, the author of the infamous Dred Scott decision, died on Oct. 12 of that year, 27 days before election day. On Dec. 6, about a month after … (read more)
