Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg appeared publicly Monday for the first time since the court revealed she was treated for a cancerous tumor found on her pancreas.
Ginsburg, 86, was awarded an honorary doctoral degree in law from the University of Buffalo and spoke about her experience as a young female law student. She also participated in a question-and-answer session with Aviva Abramovsky, the dean of the University of Buffalo law school, and is expected to participate in an event later Monday evening.
The anchor of the Supreme Court’s liberal bloc, Ginsburg briefly mentioned her recent health woes, telling the crowd about the invitation she received in July 2018 from Buffalo attorney Wayne Wisbaum to appear at the university. Wisbaum, who knew Ginsburg when they attended Cornell University together, died in December.
“He asked me to confirm that I would come to Buffalo in August 2019 in any event,” she said. “I did so immediately, and I did not withdraw when my own health problems presented challenges.”
Ginsburg’s appearance at the University of Buffalo comes as concerns about her health have mounted after the Supreme Court disclosed Friday she completed a three-week course of radiation treatment for a malignant tumor discovered on her pancreas.
The cancer was found after Ginsburg had a routine blood test in early July, and a biopsy was performed July 31, which confirmed the malignant tumor. The Supreme Court said the justice “tolerated treatment well” and no additional treatment is needed at this time.
Ginsburg’s most recent cancer bout is her second in nine months. Last last year, the justice had surgery to remove cancerous nodules from her left lung. She was also treated for pancreatic cancer in 2009 and colon cancer in 1999.
Ginsburg has served on the high court since 1993, and if she were to step down due to health issues, it would give President Trump the opportunity to fill her seat and cement a conservative majority on the high court likely to endure for decades.
Trump has already appointed two justices to the high court, Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, and a third appointment would give the Supreme Court a 6-3 conservative majority.
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