Ginsburg wasn’t ‘100 percent sober’ during State of the Union

Getty Images

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg admits to sharing some wine with her colleagues and not being “100 percent sober” for President Obama’s State of the Union address in January. 

During Obama’s speech, which lasted just under an hour, many viewers on social media pointed out that the 81-year-old liberal justice appeared to be snoozing.

{mosads}“The audience for the most part is awake, because they’re bobbing up and down, and we sit there, stone-faced, sober judges. But we’re not, at least I wasn’t, 100 percent sober,” Ginsburg said during a talk at The George Washington University on Thursday night, according to a report by The Blaze

“Because before we went to the State of the Union, Justice Kennedy brought in … it was an Opus something or other, very fine California wine, and I vowed this year, just sparkling water, stay away from the wine, but in the end, the dinner was so delicious, it needed wine,” Ginsburg said.

Ginsburg has appeared to fall asleep during the president’s annual address to Congress in prior years.

In 2013, Ginsburg also cited a “very good California wine” courtesy of Kennedy for her dozing off during the address. 

While retired Justice David Souter may have helped keep her awake during previous addresses, her current colleagues, such as Justices Anthony Kennedy and Stephen Breyer, are “sort of timid about it,” Ginsburg said Thursday, according to The Blaze

After Obama’s address this year, the justice recalled that one of her granddaughters called her later at home. 

“‘Bubbe, you were sleeping at the State of the Union!’” 

Tags Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Regular the hill posts

Main Area Top ↴

THE HILL MORNING SHOW

Main Area Bottom ↴

Most Popular

Load more