Hospitalized Justice Clarence Thomas Does Not Have Covid, Court Says
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Justice Clarence Thomas, who was admitted to the hospital on Friday evening with “flu-like symptoms,” does not have a case of Covid-19, according to a Supreme Court spokesman.
Thomas is currently a patient at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C. with an unspecified infection that is not Covid-19, the spokesman told Reuters.
“He underwent tests, was diagnosed with an infection, and is being treated with intravenous antibiotics. His symptoms are abating, he is resting comfortably, and he expects to be released from the hospital in a day or two,” a statement from the Supreme Court read.
The statement confirmed that Thomas will continue to serve in his role on the Supreme Court remotely if necessary. “Justice Thomas will participate in the consideration and discussion of any cases for which he is not present on the basis of briefs, transcripts, and audio of the oral arguments,” the Court said.
Appointed by President George H.W., Thomas is considered one of the most conservative justices on the Supreme Court. At 73 years old, Thomas will become the oldest justice on the High Court once liberal justice Stephen Breyer, nominated by former president Bill Clinton, officially retires at the end of the current term.
Biden nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to replace Breyer, fulfilling his campaign pledge to nominate a black woman. Her confirmation hearings begin Monday and are expected to remain relatively tame compared to recent confirmations, given the unanimous support she enjoys among Democrats, who control the upper chamber.
While former Trump nominees Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Brett Kavanaugh were subject to intense partisan inquisition during their confirmation hearings before the Senate, Jackson is not expected to face the same scrutiny from many Republicans.
