Senator Dianne Feinstein has sadly passed away.

On Friday (September 29), CNN reported that the Democratic Senator from California had died at the age of 90.

Sen. Feinstein was the longest-serving female senator in U.S. history and the oldest sitting member of Congress. She was elected to the Senate in 1992 and during her Congressional career, she authored the federal Assault Weapons Ban in 1994 (which expired in 2014) and served as one of the leading voices for the legalization of gay marriage in 2015.

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She also played a vital role in the Senate Intelligence Committee’s investigation into the CIA’s use of torture in interrogations, which she has called “a stain on our values and on our history.”

Sen. Feinstein‘s death will hand California’s Governor Gavin Newsom the power to appoint a lawmaker to serve out the rest of her term, keeping the Democratic majority in Congress through early 2025. In 2021, Governor Newson pledged to appoint a Black woman if Sen. Feinstein were to retire.

Our thoughts are with Senator Feinstein‘s loved ones during this difficult time. RIP.