Ginsburg back at Supreme Court

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was back at the court on Friday for the justices’ private conference.

The Supreme Court’s Public Information Office told The Hill that Ginsburg was attending the regular closed-door meeting in which the justices consider requests to review cases. Ginsburg has been absent from the court since undergoing surgery in late December to remove two cancerous nodules from her lower left lung.

The 85-year-old justice missed oral arguments last month while recovering at home from the surgery. Her absence marked the first time in more than 25 years on the bench she was forced to miss arguments due to her health.

{mosads}The court said last month that Ginsburg’s recovery was on track and that post-surgery evaluation indicated no evidence of remaining disease, and no further treatment was required.

The health scare raised concerns among liberals about how long Ginsburg will be able to remain on the bench. Supporters are hoping she will be able to remain on the court until a Democrat wins the White House and is able to name her successor.

President Trump has had two successful appointments to the court with the confirmations of Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. After Ginsburg missed arguments, Politico reported that the White House urged conservative activist groups to start preparing for her possible death or departure.

But Ginsburg, who’s affectionately known by her fan following as the “Notorious RBG,” has survived bouts of cancer before, colon cancer in 1999 and pancreatic cancer in 2009, both of which were caught in the early stages.

The Supreme Court said the nodules in her lung were discovered incidentally during tests performed at George Washington University Hospital after she fell and fractured three ribs in November.

The justices have been on winter recess for the last month but are due back on the bench for oral arguments on Tuesday. The court’s press office did not say whether Ginsburg will be on the bench for arguments Tuesday.

Among the petitions the justices considered Friday is a request from the Trump administration to bypass a regional appeals court and review a lower court’s decision to block administration officials from adding questions about citizenship to the 2020 census.

Updated at 10:40 a.m.