Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg celebrates her 85th birthday Thursday, a milestone that is sure to reignite speculation over whether she will retire from the high court.
Ginsburg was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Bill Clinton and celebrated her 25th year on the high court last month. The leader of the liberal wing of the bench, Ginsburg is frequently the subject of retirement rumors, along with Justice Anthony Kennedy, who turns 82 this summer.
But while Republicans and President Trump are hoping Ginsburg steps down — setting Trump up to fill a second vacancy on the bench—Ginsburg has indicated she has no plans to hang up her robe.
“As long as I can do the job full steam, I will be here,” Ginsburg told a full house at Adas Israel Congregation during an event last month.
Over her 25 years on the high court, Ginsburg has become a pop culture phenom, with portrayals on the small screen and the silver screen, and a line of apparel and accessories bearing her face and the phrase, “I dissent.”
She has been played by Kate McKinnon on “Saturday Night Live” and will be portrayed by Felicity Jones in the upcoming biographical film, “On the Basis of Sex.”
In May, a documentary chronicling her life, titled “RBG,” will hit select theaters.
Earlier this year, when the justices recessed for a four-week break, Ginsburg embarked on a tour that started in Park City, Utah, and continued through the Northeast.
The justice kicked off her flurry of public appearances at the Sundance Film Festival, where “RBG” premiered, and weighed in on the #MeToo movement.
She spoke at Roger Williams University School of Law and Temple Beth-El in Providence, Rhode Island, events that led Ginsburg to miss Trump’s first official State of the Union.
“I feel fine,” Ginsburg told the audience when asked how she was feeling during the event at Roger Williams University School of Law.
“I attribute my good health to my personal trainer,” the justice added.
Last month, Ginsburg headlined Columbia University’s Women’s Conference, and attended two events at the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
“I am soon to be 85, and everyone wants to take their picture with me,” Ginsburg remarked during an appearance at the New York Law School.
From the bench, Ginsburg has maintained a similar pace.
In half of oral arguments so far this term, which began in October, Ginsburg has been the first justice to question the plaintiff’s lawyer.
Of the 13 opinions issued by the high court, the 85-year-old has written three of them, tied for the most. She’s also hired law clerks through June 2020.
While Ginsburg may be the target of questions surrounding her future, she won’t be the oldest justice to serve on the high court.
Justices Oliver Wendell Holmes and John Paul Stevens both retired at 90.
