Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg assured a crowd of thousands that she is “on my way to being very well” during a panel discussion at the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C., on Saturday.
Ginsburg, who has served as an associate justice on the Supreme Court since 1993, is the oldest member of the nation’s highest court at 86. She was recently treated for a malignant tumor on her pancreas and received radiation treatment as a result. She also had a lobe from her lung removed in December and broke her ribs in a fall the month before. She was treated for both colon and pancreatic cancer in previous years.
Sitting down with two women who have been helping her write her next book, Ginsburg discussed her health and legacy with NPR legal affairs reporter Nina Totenberg.
“We all know you’ve had some health challenges,” Totenberg said. “How are you feeling?”
Ginsburg injected a bit of levity by saying, “This audience can see that I am alive.” And in a more direct tone, she assured the crowd, “I’m on my way to being very well.” The estimated crowd of 4,000 loudly applauded to her statement.
“How do you just keep truckin’?” Ginsburg was also asked.
“For one thing, I love my job,” the 26-year veteran of the Supreme Court said. “It’s the best and the hardest job that I’ve ever had. It has kept me going through four cancer bouts.”
Ginsburg, appointed by former President Bill Clinton, is often considered the head of the liberal faction of justices serving on the court. She has gained attention in recent months for her praise of conservative Associate Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch, who often draw sharp criticism from the Democratic Party and liberal lawmakers.
Ginsburg expressed no interest in ending her time on the Supreme Court, suggesting that it was the work that keeps her going. She said she was able to largely ignore “aches and pains” brought on by advanced age by concentrating on the important work of the Supreme Court. In terms of making a full recovery before the upcoming term, she said there is still “more than a month to go.”
“I’ll be prepared when the time comes,” she said.
