Supreme Court refuses publication's request for health information on justices
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. was polite but firm when Law.com asked the justices to make public their health information.
Writing on behalf of the court, Roberts told Law.com (sub. req.) that no information would be disclosed.
His letter read: “Thank you for your inquiry about my health and the health of my colleagues. You can expect to see an able and energetic court when we reconvene in October. The court’s Public Information Office will continue to provide health information when a need to inform the public arises.”
Law.com had written letters to all eight justices asking for information about “illnesses, conditions, surgeries and medications” that could affect their professional work.
The public didn’t know about Justice Antonin Scalia’s health issues until after his death, the article points out. The attending physician of Congress told a Texas judge evaluating the cause of death that the late justice’s medical conditions included high blood pressure, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and coronary artery disease.
Of the current justices, Ruth Bader Ginsburg has revealed the most about her health. Four out of six press releases on the justices’ health in the last 14 years have discussed her cancer and heart problems.
