Ruth Bader Ginsburg missed oral arguments for the first time ever—here’s why
On December 21st, 2018, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg underwent surgery to remove two cancerous nodules in her lungs. Reports of her operation came a little more than a month after she was hospitalized with broken ribs after a fall. The justice is reportedly doing well after her latest hospitalization, but she’s still recovering. Today, January 7th, she missed oral arguments in court for the first time in her 25-year tenure on the bench.
According to the Associated Press, Chief Justice John Roberts announced in court that Ginsburg would be working from home, deciding cases based on “the briefs and transcripts of oral arguments.” Supreme Court spokesperson Kathleen Arberg told the AP that the justice is still recovering from her surgery in December. Ginsburg has not yet announced when she’ll be back at work.
85-year-old Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is missing arguments for the 1st time in more than 25 years as she recuperates from cancer surgery last month. A court spokeswoman says Ginsburg is working from home. https://t.co/Qo7PjMHCP5
— AP Politics (@AP_Politics) January 7, 2019
Arberg told The New York Times at the time of Ginsburg’s surgery that “there was no evidence of any remaining disease,” and that, based on scans performed before the operation, the cancer had not spread to other organs. She is currently not scheduled to undergo further treatment. The AP notes that, during her time on the Supreme Court, Ginsburg has had two other surgeries for cancer and has also broken ribs at least twice.
Ginsburg just had major surgery, and she has every right to take time to heal. We’re wishing her a speedy recovery and hope to see her back in court soon.
