She wasn’t just the first female justice of the Supreme Court; she was a genuine conservative (not a reactionary) and a swing vote. Nobody could take her support for granted. Any party who came before her had a reasonable chance, which gave the Supreme Court credibility with both the right and the left.
That’s gone. There are no swing votes on the current Court. The only disputes among the six right-wing justices are about how fast to move the train–not which direction it should go.