U.S.Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg Laments Partisanship In Congress

PALO ALTO (AP)U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg lamented partisanship in Congress during a talk at Stanford University. She said Monday she hoped Congress would return to an era when “it was working for the good of the country and not just along party lines.”

Ginsburg did not address the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court seat vacated by the late Justice Anthony Scalia. She also didn’t comment on President Donald Trump’s travel ban, which could end up before the high court.

But she did say the Electoral College needs to change, a comment that drew applause from the packed church. Ginsburg is the leader of the court’s liberal wing. She is also the oldest justice on the court and has survived colon and pancreatic cancer.

The 83-year-old justice will offer personal reflections at a discussion billed as an exploration of what it means to lead a meaningful life, university officials said. Ginsburg's talk comes after President Donald Trump last week nominated Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. The nomination would likely restore the court's conservative tilt.

Ginsburg is the leader of the court's liberal wing. She is also the oldest justice on the court and has survived pancreatic and colon cancer. Liberals worry about the future of their causes if Trump gets an opportunity to replace her or any of the other liberal judges on the bench.

Ginsburg has shown no signs of slowing down and has said she has a personal trainer who leads her through hour-long workouts that include push-ups and weights. She also said during the presidential campaign that she presumed Democrat Hillary Clinton would win and have the opportunity to make a few appointments to the court.

She said at the time she did not want to think about the possibility of a Trump victory, calling Trump in one interview a "faker" who "really has an ego."