Is Ruth Bader Ginsburg dead? Almost certainly not. The Washington Post is reporting that Ginsburg was spotted in public on Monday, which should quell rumors of her untimely demise. But do you know where Ginsberg was not? The State of the Union address. The elder Supreme Court justice skipped the SOTU address by President Donald Trump.
Ginsburg had largely disappeared from public eye back in December when she underwent cancer treatment. In an era of fake news, in which satire and blatantly false stories can quickly gain traction on social media websites, theories of Ginsburg’s demise have circulated the web and have been gaining momentum.
Yet The Washington Post is reporting that Ginsburg was recently on hand for a performance about her own life at a DC museum. This marked her first appearance in public for several weeks. Don’t expect her sighting to instantly dispel conspiracy rumors, however.
At 85 years old, Ginsburg is one of the oldest judges in the country. She was first appointed to the Supreme Court by Bill Clinton all the way back in 1993. If Ginsburg were to pass away, President Trump would have yet another opportunity to appoint a conservative judge. Already, the Supreme Court leans in favor of conservatives.
Ginsburg has pledged to serve on the Supreme Court until after the 2020 election. However, whether she’s physically capable of doing so is another matter. Cancer is no joke and at 85, a variety of ailments could quickly put an end to her ambitions.
While it’s easy to focus on the politics of the day, the appointment of Supreme Court judges may ultimately have far longer reaching affects than even the most sweeping policy decisions being made by Trump & Co. Ultimately, the Supreme Court determines what the president and Congress can and cannot do. Decisions made in the Supreme Court could have lasting effects for generations to come.
