Ginsburg: Sorry, Liberals, I'm Not Retiring

At 80, she still feels up to the job at Supreme Court
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 17, 2013 5:23 PM CST
Ginsburg: Sorry, Liberals, I'm Not Retiring
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg smiles while speaking to the Northern Virginia Technology Council, Tuesday.   (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Ruth Bader Ginsburg knows full well that many liberals would love for her to retire from the Supreme Court to give President Obama a chance to appoint her successor. They can forget about it, reports AP: "I think one should stay as long as she can do the job," the 80-year-old told a forum in Virginia today. "Can you think as well? Can you write with the same fluency? At my age you take it year by year. I'm OK this year."

But what about the argument that if she stays on, it raises the likelihood that a Republican will get to pick her replacement? She cites two names in response: William Brennan and Thurgood Marshall. Both left-leaning justices were in the same boat as her—at an advanced age with a Democrat in office—but both remained on the court. As a result, the elder George Bush got a chance to appoint David Souter and Clarence Thomas to their spots. Ginsburg, though, says politics shouldn't play a role. The only question that matters: "Can you do the job?" (More Ruth Bader Ginsburg stories.)

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