Ruth Bader Ginsburg Is Back In Her Chambers, Less Than A Week After Fracturing 3 Ribs

The Supreme Court justice will also resume her legendary workouts next week, her trainer told Vox.
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Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg returned to her chambers on Tuesday afternoon, just days after falling and fracturing three of her ribs.

A court employee told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Ginsburg was working from her office once more after missing a court meeting earlier in the day.

Ginsburg, 85, fell in her office last Wednesday but returned home. The court’s spokeswoman said she “experienced discomfort” overnight, however, and went to George Washington University Hospital, where tests showed the extent of her injuries the next day. She was released Friday.

The event prompted an outpouring of support and worry from Ginsburg’s supporters, who view her as the lynchpin of the court’s liberal bloc. Some even joked about donating their ribs to her so she could recover quickly.

Ginsburg has had several health scares during her tenure on the Supreme Court, but she regularly returns to work.
Ginsburg has had several health scares during her tenure on the Supreme Court, but she regularly returns to work.
JIM WATSON via Getty Images

Ginsburg, the oldest member of the court, is a cancer survivor and has had several health scares in recent years, including a separate episode in which she fractured some ribs. At the same time, the justice is known for her regular exercise routine and meets with a personal trainer several times a week for hourlong sessions.

“The whole time that I’ve trained the justice, the one word she has never used with me is ’can’t,’” the trainer, Bryant Johnson, told The New York Times earlier this year. “Even when I told her we were going to do push-ups — she looked at me with a side-eye, like maybe I was locked on stupid and stuck on dumb. But she didn’t say anything. And when Justice Ginsburg finally did push-ups off her knees, she lit up.”

Johnson told Vox on Tuesday that Ginsburg will resume her workouts next week even as she recovers, commenting that she was “tough as nails.”

“With three cracked ribs, I won’t have her on the elliptical right away,” he told the news outlet. “My warm-up will be gentler — and then we’ll adjust accordingly.”

He continued: “When she gets stronger, we’ll resume the regular workouts.”

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