The eldest justice on the Supreme Court, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, said that she cracked two of her ribs back in the month of June but was still able to meet all of her work obligations and is committed to remaining on the court for three more years. Ginsburg is 79 and was interviewed by Reuters on Tuesday of this week to discuss her injury and her commitment to the court and the country.
“At first I thought it was nothing,” said Ginsburg. Ginsburg said that the cracked ribs occurred when the Supreme Court entered its hardest month. “So it was the worst possible time.”
The court’s Public Information Officer, Kathy Arberg, said, “Ginsburg followed her schedule as usual. She indeed did not skip a beat and did not feel it rose to a serious health concern.”
Ginsburg was appointed to the court for a life term back in 1993 by President Bill Clinton. She cracked her ribs on June 4 but still spoke at a conference in New York on June 8 and then made an appearance in D.C. on June 15 at a conference. In July she made trips to Europe.
Ginsburg was in charge of drafting the dissenting statement for the healthcare ruling. When the ruling was issued, she read portions of the dissent from the bench.
“I had a draft of the dissent before the chief circulated his opinion because I knew it would be impossible to do,” Ginsburg said.
During the interview with Reuters, Ginsburg reiterated her goal to remain on the court for at least three more years so she can tie the tenure set by Justice Louis Brandeis. Brandies retired at the age of 82 back in 1939 after spending 23 years on the court. Ginsburg hinted that she could remain on the bench late into her 80s. “Brandeis had a problem that I didn’t,” she said. “He was losing his eyesight.”