by Daveda Gruber:
On Wednesday morning Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg missed oral arguments due to an illness.
Ginsberg, who is 86 years old, was not able to question attorneys during arguments because of an alleged stomach flu. She will however, be able to be involved in deciding the case.
Chief Justice John Roberts gave a statement from the bench.
Roberts said, “Justice Ginsburg is unable to be present today. She is indisposed due to illness, but she will participate in the consideration and decision of the cases on the basis of the briefs and the transcripts or recordings of the oral arguments.”
The cases before the court are Comcast Corporation v. National Association of African American-Owned Media, et al., and Ritzen Group, Inc. v. Jackson Masonry, LLC.
Ginsburg has had cancer, in fact, she had two separate issues with the disease during the past year.
The justice has recovered from lung surgery that led her to miss court sessions in January. As a justice for a quarter of a century, she had not missed arguments before that particular illness.
Ginsberg had a tumor in her pancreas and was treated with radiation in August and she stated at a National Book Festival that she was “alive” and on her “way to being very well.”
We’ll have to wait and see how long she’ll be out for with this latest illness.
