The upcoming confirmation hearing of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is not the only U.S. Supreme Court news this week. Justice Clarence Thomas, who is 73, was hospitalized on Friday with flu-like symptoms and has been diagnosed with an infection. Reports from Sunday night cite Supreme Court spokesperson Patricia McCabe.
Clarence Thomas was admitted to the hospital two nights ago with flu-like symptoms, the court said in a press release. He expects to be released "in a day or two." pic.twitter.com/kKeES7nHw2
— SCOTUSblog (@SCOTUSblog) March 20, 2022
According to an ABC News report from Devin Dwyer:
Thomas was admitted to Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C., on Friday evening after experiencing flu-like symptoms, Supreme Court spokesperson Patricia McCabe said in a statement.
He was diagnosed with an infection after undergoing tests and is being treated with intravenous antibiotics, McCabe said. She did not provide more details on the nature of the infection.
"His symptoms are abating, he is resting comfortably, and he expects to be released from the hospital in a day or two," McCabe said. "Justice Thomas will participate in the consideration and discussion of any cases for which he is not present on the basis of the briefs, transcripts and audio of the oral arguments."
Behind 82-year-old Justice Stephen Breyer, who is retiring, Justice Thomas is the oldest justice currently on the bench. He is also the most senior justice, having been nominated by President George H.W. Bush in 1991 to replace Justice Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American on the bench.
"Clarence Thomas" is currently trending on Twitter in response to the news.
Justice Thomas and his wife, Ginni Thomas, have also been in the news in recent days when it comes to particularly relentless attacks from the mainstream media, some of them having been published when he was in the hospital, though it was not yet announced at the time. On March 16, MSNBC's Mehdi Hasan wrote about "Why Democrats should impeach Justice Clarence Thomas."
