Justice Ginsburg to skip State of the Union, signals she has no plans to retire

Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the U.S. Supreme Court poses for an official group portrait at the Supreme Court Building in Washington, June 1, 2017.

 (Associated Press)

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will not be attending President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on Tuesday.

Instead, she will be at Roger Williams University in Rhode Island, for a talk that was announced in August, the Providence Journal reported.

Ginsburg, 84, also has sent signals recently that she intends to keep her seat on the bench for years to come.

When asked how long she intends to serve, she said she will stay as long as she can go “full steam,” drawing inspiration from her model, Justice John Paul Stevens, who stepped down in 2010 at age 90.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Ginsburg’s nomination by President Bill Clinton and her confirmation as the second woman on the court — following former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who was nominated by President Ronald Reagan in 1981.

“She is so spry,” said friend Ann Claire Williams, a newly retired federal appeals court judge, adding that Ginsburg’s mind is also sharp and her recall on cases “extraordinary.”

The eldest Supreme Court justice has produced two of the court’s four signed opinions so far this term. She’s even hired law clerks to take her through June 2020, just months before the next presidential election.

Ginsburg also did not attend last year’s presidential address, after attending to all eight of former President Barack Obama’s addresses, the Hill reported. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas also didn’t attend President Trump’s address last year.

Other justices have skipped out on the annual address, so the practice is not abnormal, the report said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story. 

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Texas woman who said she was being stalked shot dead by police

Video

Police-involved shooting in San Antonio, Texas

A woman called authorities under the guise of a welfare check.

A Texas woman who called 911 on Saturday saying she was being stalked was shot and killed by a San Antonio police officer during a brief struggle in a home, authorities said.

The unidentified woman, said to be in her 40s, also called police saying her computer was being interfered with, FOX29 San Antonio reported. Police conducted a welfare check about 3 p.m. and found the woman locked in her bedroom.

Two police officers and a cadet then asked the woman if she had a weapon. She responded no and police officers forced their way through the door. Police Chief William McManus said in the news conference he did not know how long the officers were speaking to the woman before entering the room.

“When they got in the room, she was standing there with a Glock pistol in her hand,” McManus said at a news conference.

Police officers attempted to disarm the woman, getting into a brief struggle with the woman. At one point, the woman began aiming the pistol at one of the officers’ head.

A female officer fired her gun, striking the woman. She was taken to the hospital where she later died.

The officers were not injured. McManus added that the officer who fired her weapon has been on the force for six years. She was placed on administrative leave during the investigation into the incident.

“I was told [the woman killed] has been in this neighborhood for quite a long time. She has a history of mental illness and she’s had some issues with other folks on the block,” McManus said.

McManus said the woman’s claims that she was being stalked were “unfounded.”

Saturday’s incident was the second fatal police shooting in San Antonio in a week. A police officer shot and killed a robbery suspect Thursday night after being stabbed in the hand. 

Katherine Lam is a breaking and trending news digital producer for Fox News. Follow her on Twitter at @bykatherinelam

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