After being away from the bench for more than two weeks, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is still nowhere to be seen — and has even started cancelling a few upcoming appearances in New York and Los Angeles.
Amid swirling speculation and questions about the 85-year-old’s health, tensions among both the Republican and Democratic base is skyrocketing.
And any outcome could have major implications.
The future of the Supreme Court — whether it swings back left or goes even further right — is dependent upon Ginsburg.
Voices inside Ginsburg’s camp insist that remains on track to return on schedule, as reported by USA Today. But from the justice herself?
Silence.
Those closest to Ginsburg cite her toughness and say the Supreme Court Justice is fighting her way back to the bench. In spite of this, some pundits say that Ginsburg made a crucial mistake by continuing to serve: especially at the interest of the left.
Daniel Epps, a law professor of Washington University School of Law had this to say in an interview with The Hill:
If she stays for five more years from now, that’s 2023. Even if there’s a Democratic president elected in 2020, it’s quite possible that Republicans might control the Senate in 2023. We shouldn’t be in a situation where the future of certain policies turn on whether this old woman is healthy or not.
The Democrats didn’t want to talk about Ginsburg’s health back in 2014 and it has only gotten worse since then. She claimed in an exclusive interview with ELLE that year that there was no one else to, liberal or conservative, who was worthy of replacing her.
“As long as I can do the job full steam…I think I’ll recognize when the time comes that I can’t any longer.”
Is that time now?
— The Horn editorial team