Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 86, has experienced various health complications earlier this month. In addition to her health complications, Ginsburg has faced a series of cancer treatments over the past 20 years, including radiation treatment for cancerous tumors found on the pancreas in August, and surgery for lung cancer last December. On Friday night, the Justice was admitted to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore for a fever.

Although these health complications have interfered with her Supreme Court duties, such as missing oral arguments, Ginsburg has dismissed the possibility of giving up her seat. During the Trump administration, two new conservative Justices have been appointed, Neil Gorsuch in 2017 and Brett Kavanaugh in 2018.

Ginsburg is concerned about the future of the court. The current court is composed of a Republican majority – four Democratic and five Republican Justices. Although the court is closely divided, the justices can often find compromise. An additional Trump-appointed justice would cause an imbalance in the court, moving it decisively to the right.

Although Ginsburg expresses her willingness to stay in the court, if she were to leave before next year’s election, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would be certainly push a conservative judge through the GOP-led chamber.

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Karine Avila

Article by Karine Avila