Last month, on November 7, people panicked when reports came out that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg fractured three ribs. She’d fallen in her Supreme Court Office when she sustained the injury. She went back to work almost immediately. Her nephew told Reuters, for example, that Justice Ginsburg was even working from her hospital bed.
But, given that it sometimes feels like the fate of our country rests on the health of an 85-year-old woman, people were really stressed about her health. Offers to donate ribs to the justice frequently cropped up on social media.
But rest assured, we can all keep our ribs (for now). The justice told audiences in a public interview, sponsored by the Museum of the City of New York and WNET-TV, that she was "almost repaired."
Just how much better is she doing? She’s back to her famous workouts.
Justice Ginsburg clarified that she’d actually gone back to her physical trainer “immediately” after the rib fracture, but stuck to “legs only.” And now, as she informed NPR’s Nina Totenberg during this interview, she’s back to doing her whole workout routine.
While there’s no immediate reason to freak out, Justice Ginsburg has had some health problems over the years. For instance, this isn’t even the first time she’s fractured her ribs. She’s also beaten cancer twice, going back to 1999 and 2001.
But she’s not giving up any time soon. Nor is she planning to retire from the court. She’s appointed law clerks up through 2020, and in August of this year clarified that she’d like to continue her position for “at least five more years.” Which, as of now, will get us safely through Trump territory.