Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 86, recovering from radiation therapy after another cancer diagnosis, has no plans to retire, she told an adoring audience in her patented good spirits Saturday at the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.
"How am I feeling? Well, first, this audience can see that I am alive," Ginsburg joked, referencing past false reports she died, or is terminally ill. "And I'm on my way to being very well."
To begin her appearance on stage, the host asked if Justice Ginsburg was going to be prepared for the next term on the Supreme Court, which is a month away.
"I will be very prepared when the time comes," Ginsburg said, brushing off a question of when or if she might step down from the Supreme Court.
Ginsburg added, "I love my job; it's the best and hottest job I have ever had," admitting staying busy and active on the Court has help extend her life.
"It's what has kept me going through four cancer bouts," she said. "Instead of concentrating on my aches and pains, I just know that I have to read this set of briefs, toil with a draft opinion – and so I have to somehow surmount whatever is going on in body and concentrate on the court's work."
Ginsburg's health is a point of emphasis for the next year as President Trump enters the end of his first term, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., vows to quickly fill any Supreme Court vacancy before the 2020 elections – unlike his blocking of Judge Merrick Garland's nomination in the last year of former President Barack Obama's administration.