Ginsburg back after heart procedure

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg returned to work on Monday following a heart procedure last week. 

{mosads}Ginsburg received a stent in her coronary artery on Wednesday. She had felt discomfort while exercising Tuesday night and was taken to a Washington hospital.

The liberal-leaning justice, who is 81, has faced questions about when she will retire. Some liberals hope that she will step down before the end of President Obama’s term, ensuring that a Democratic president is able to nominate her replacement, though the new Republican Senate could complicate the confirmation process.

But Ginsburg says she’s staying put. “Anybody who thinks that if I step down, Obama could appoint someone like me, they’re misguided,” she told Elle magazine in September.

“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. But now I can,” she added. 

Ginsburg returns as the Court hears an important case Monday on the First Amendment in the Internet age, weighing whether police need to prove whether those who post online threats intend to carry them out.

She had already asked at least one question during oral arguments in the Court’s session Monday.