Ruth Bader Ginsburg

[street]

I just read she had a tumor removed from her pancreases. She is 86 and a high profile figure but I always have a hard time understanding why someone of that age and with all the health issues, would want to continue to work.

This shouldn't have anything to do with politics, but the topic of why keep on is anyone guess. She loves what she does or she is very greedy and wants more and more. LOL

With all the cancer she has had just like many others in the working world, some just can't stop and enjoy what time they have left. It saddens me some for these people that can't stop. I have had a few elderly friends that worked till they dropped and had plenty of money and wealth to retire and enjoy less stress.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

I just read she had a tumor removed from her pancreases. She is 86 and a high profile figure but I always have a hard time understanding why someone of that age and with all the health issues, would want to continue to work.

This shouldn't have anything to do with politics, but the topic of why keep on is anyone guess. She loves what she does or she is very greedy and wants more and more. LOL

With all the cancer she has had just like many others in the working world, some just can't stop and enjoy what time they have left. It saddens me some for these people that can't stop. I have had a few elderly friends that worked till they dropped and had plenty of money and wealth to retire and enjoy less stress.

She feels very strongly about her cause no doubt. We should all be thankful that she does. I believe that anyone who works in any job they love and feels committed to, would do the same. I also believe that when one is employed in a position of such responsibility for life, they tend to have a different outlook than us folk who just want to get out as soon as they can.

 

[Aerides]

I've watched a documentary on her. She loves her work and lives for it, her whole life has been that way. She has long said she plans to keep working as long as she has the mental fitness for it (and her personal fitness routine is grueling!)

It is a lifetime appointment after all.

 

[street]

^ yes totally understand that and her feelings. If I was in her shoes no matter how I felt about my job, I wouldn't let my time left on earth be shortened by a job. I also understand each person has their own way to walk away from a high profile job. I understand it would be difficult with her to walk.

 

[gerntz]

Not directed at her, but judges ought to be forced to retire by at least 85 if not younger. By that age too many's mental capabilities ARE reduced. Plus it would ease the transition to new judges by knowing the older ones have to be gone.

 

[CardsFan]

She feels very strongly about her cause no doubt.

Not the job of a Supreme Court Justice, unless you think her cause is to uphold the constitution, as it was written.

 

[street]

^ absolutely! There would no fighting and wars when a new one would come on, regardless of who is in office. The only thing about that it is to simple. LOL

 

[Jerry1]

[mod hat on]. As the original post said, let’s be sure to keep politics out of this discussion. There is plenty to discuss here without breaking any forum rules. Thank you. [mod hat off].

I was never one to think of my work as my life, but there are those that do and I’m happy for them. She is literally at the pinnacle of the legal profession and it’s doubtful anyone gets there if that’s not “their life”. If that’s what she loves, there wouldn’t be anything more satisfying to go do instead. Plus, who’s to say she doesn’t have a rich life outside of “work”. It’s not like it’s a 24/7/365 job. The partners at the CPA firm I worked for are still there. I don’t think anyone would call their life boring or unsatisfying. They do all kinds of things that I could only dream of doing. It’s just not the same for them. I’m happy for them, that they found their passion. Not all of us do. I sure didn’t.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Not the job of a Supreme Court Justice, unless you think her cause is to uphold the constitution, as it was written.

Of course, why would we think otherwise. Some folks just interpret it how it was intended. RBG is one of those.

 

[CardsFan]

[mod hat on]. As the original post said, let’s be sure to keep politics out of this discussion. There is plenty to discuss here without breaking any forum rules. Thank you. [mod hat off].

To keep on topic, I think there is much precedent for Supreme Court Justices to stay on, even when health and family considerations would make others give up up.

It is one of those positions that represents the absolute apex of their profession. They don't answer to anyone. They can have frank, candid, and private conversations about the issues, without regard to the potential political consequences of the ultimate decision.

Independent of who nominated them, I think that all justices feel a sense of duty to the country, and I am glad we have them.

 

[Popeye]

Of course, why would we think otherwise. Some folks just interpret it how it was intended. RBG is one of those.

LOL! Now that is pretty funny!

 

[Popeye]

To keep on topic, I think there is much precedent for Supreme Court Justices to stay on, even when health and family considerations would make others give up up.

It is one of those positions that represents the absolute apex of their profession. They don't answer to anyone. They can have frank, candid, and private conversations about the issues, without regard to the potential political consequences of the ultimate decision.

Independent of who nominated them, I think that all justices feel a sense of duty to the country, and I am glad we have them.

I think the days of the SCOTUS acting without regard to political consequences are long gone. That is assuming they ever existed. She will stay until she drops. Some of the biggest egos in the world are judges. I can only imagine how big they get at that level.

 

[steelyman]

I think the idea was to have separate executive, legislative, and judicial branches.

They’ve wavered over time but it’s a good idea.

 

[Gumby]

The Notorious RBG will be remembered long after you and I are feeding the worms and forgotten by all.

 

[Car-Guy]

It's all political... Maybe 50 years ago it wasn't so much (doubt it) but it's possible. After the public spectacle the last few were put through, (and others before that) why would anyone want to go through that BS.

 

[Senator]

I think if the average person had the ailments that she has, we would be long gone.

All the king's horses and all the king's men, Couldn't put us together again.

Kudos to her health care providers.

 

[USGrant1962]

I wonder how much work an SC Justice actually does? They have a substantial staff and are only in session for about half the year. I'm sure they do "stuff" when not in session, but it seems like a half-year job.

And I in no way mean to diminish the intellectual work that they do. It seems like a really good and valuable gig for top people in the legal world. OTOH, until a few decades ago wasn't always a purely "legal" gig and there is something to be said for that too...

 

[38Chevy454]

Staying off my political soapbox, I can only say I feel sorry for the next Supreme Court nominee. The approval process has become a political circus unto itself.


FWIW, there have been Supreme Court justices that have retired and left before they were in terrible health or died in office.

 

[mamadogmamacat]

From the articles I have read over the years, in addition to the prestige factor that others have mentioned (apex of one's profession and all that), the SC is also something of a social club. The justices apparently get on quite well with each other and their families too. RBG does not have, IIRC, a very large family of her own, just one daughter, and I think a nephew. Not sure if the daughter or nephew had any kids or not. So, there is a social factor as well. Another thing, some people really do live for their job, and cannot imagine living without it. Have no idea if she is such a person, but she may be.

 

[ERD50]

...

This shouldn't have anything to do with politics, but the topic of why keep on is anyone guess. ....

But it very likely is political, so I/we can say no more and stay within forum guidelines (which is fine).

After all, it's not like she is an 86 year old carpenter. The political ramifications are there, they cannot be ignored in any real discussion of the matter, so this thread is like Kabuki Theater.

I wish her well.

-ERD50

 

[steelyman]

The Bully Pulpit, by Doris Kearns Goodwin, is about Theodore Roosevelt and William Taft. Taft very much wanted to be a Supreme Court judge, not President.

It’s interesting but from a turn-of-the-20th viewpoint.

 

[street]

To some, that is all they have is work and the title is very hard to give up. Go girl, work till you drop if that what makes her happy. I wish her the best with her health.

 

[Gumby]

If I may, let me address the "apex of the profession" issue. I retired at the end of May this year. One of the last big cases I had involved potential federal preemption of state law. I argued and won at the U.S. District Court in Connecticut and at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. The next step is a petition for certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court. There is now a "split in the circuits", meaning that the 2d Circuit holding in my favor is directly contrary to holdings in the 4th and the 9th Circuits on nearly identical state laws. It is also a very important issue involving the rights of a state to regulate businesses within the state. For those reasons, it is likely that the Supreme Court will grant the petition for certiorari and hear the case. I have to tell you that I was torn about retiring with that case pending. Arguing in the Supreme Court is the pinnacle of a lawyer's career. I thought several times about sticking around just to do that. Ultimately I did not, but that very tangential issue lets me understand how Justice Ginsburg might want to continue on with her work. It is the peak of the profession; she and the other justices are shaping the course of the law for years to come, and I might be reluctant to relinquish that as well.

 

[Lewis Clark]

One point of retirement is to allow us the time to do whatever we want. If what any person wants to do is work, then more power to them. Enjoying a job is no different from enjoying any other activity.

 

[samclem]

It is surprising to me that she was able to go to Sloan Kettering for three weeks of cancer treatment and it was never reported in the press. Justice Ginsburg's health has been a topic of frequent and intense press interest for quite some time. She either gave the Fourth Estate the slip or there are still some folks with grace and decency that decided to forego the scoop and give her some privacy.

My guess is that she got away without them noticing.