Justice Ginsburg Says She’s ‘Very Much Alive’

Eighty-nine-year-old Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg says she is “very much alive” despite recent health scares that have fueled speculation about her ability to do her job. Ginsburg made the remarks during a wide-ranging interview with NPR legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg that aired this morning. Ginsburg had colorectal cancer in 1999 and last year had two cancerous nodules removed from her lung. Last December, she fell and fractured three ribs. Ginsburg also told NPR she thinks it is a bad idea to pack the court with more justices because it could make the court look overtly partisan. Several Democratic presidential candidates have made the pitch. Asked what she thought about issues like women’s rights at a time with a conservative majority, Ginsburg responded: “I don’t think there’s going to be any turning back to old ways.”