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Ruth Bader Ginsburg misses Supreme Court arguments for first time

Ruth Bader Ginsburg recovering after surgery
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg recovering after surgery 02:08

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is missing oral arguments for the first time in more than 25 years, the Supreme Court said Monday. She is recuperating from cancer surgery last month.

Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said Monday the 85-year-old Ginsburg has been and continues to work from home after doctors removed two cancerous growths from her left lung on Dec. 21. She will still participate on the basis of transcripts and briefs, the Supreme Court said. 

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Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg misses oral arguments for the first time, as she continues to recuperate from surgery to remove cancerous growths from one of her lungs, Jan. 7, 2019. Sketch by William Hennessy, Jr.

She was discharged from a New York hospital on Christmas day.

Ginsburg had two earlier cancer surgeries in 1999 and 2009 that did not cause her to miss court sessions. She also has broken ribs on at least two occasions.

The court said doctors found the growths on Ginsburg's lung when she was being treated for rib fractures she suffered in a fall at her office on Nov. 7.

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