Ruth Bader Ginsburg May Follow Antonin Scalia in a Matter of Weeks
Known as the the widowhood effect, a study has found that when a husband or wife dies, the remaining spouse's risk of dying is 66 per cent higher in the three months after their partner's death (1).
That why I think Ruth Bader Ginsburg may keel over and die in a matter of weeks. I know that my readers will object that Ginsburg and Scalia were not married to each other. That may be true, however, they were very close friends and often vacationed together:
LA Times, 22 Jun 2015, BFFs Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia agree to disagree
Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg in April 2014.
Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Antonin Scalia seem unlikely friends.
Though both grew up in New York City and graduated from Ivy League law schools, Scalia went on to become a lawyer in the Nixon administration and a founder of the conservative Federalist Society, and Ginsburg led the women's rights project at the American Civil Liberties Union.
He's brash and burly and believes in strict adherence to the Constitution's original text. She's soft-spoken and slight and believes in a "living Constitution" that can change with the times. On controversial cases, they are often the most likely of any pairing of the nine Supreme Court justices to disagree.
Despite their standing as the intellectual lions of the left and right, Ginsburg and Scalia have forged an uncommon bond on a court where close friendships outside of chambers are rare.
...
Scalia, 79, and Ginsburg, 82, frequently dine and vacation together. Every Dec. 31, they ring in the new year together. Their relationship has even inspired an opera, set to debut this summer.
In joint appearances, their mutual affinity and gentle joshing delight audiences, particularly at a time of bitter partisan differences that have made friendships across the aisle difficult.
"Call us the odd couple," Scalia said this year at a George Washington University event with Ginsburg. "She likes opera, and she's a very nice person. What's not to like?" he said dryly. "Except her views on the law."
Seated next to Ginsburg on the stage, Scalia teased her about the minor uproar that occurred after they were photographed together on an elephant during a trip to India in 1994. "Her feminist friends" were upset, Scalia said, that "she rode behind me."
Let's see what happens in the next few weeks. If Ginsburg does die and that opens two slots to fill for Justice of the Supreme Court, you can be sure that all hell will break loose in Washington D.C.
ENDNOTES
(1):
Daily Mail, 15 Nov 2013, You really CAN die of a broken heart
It is a phenomenon that has long been suspected - and now scientists say it really is possible to die of a broken heart.
A study has found that when a husband or wife dies, the remaining spouse's risk of dying is 66 per cent higher in the three months after their partner's death.
...
They focused on 12,316 of the participants who were married in 1998 and followed them through 2008 to determine which participants became widows or widowers, then recorded when they died.
There were 2,912 deaths during the study period. Of those, 2,373 were among married people who left a widow or widower behind. The other 539 deaths were among people who had become widows and widowers themselves.
The effect was strongest during the first three months after a spouse's death, when they had a 66 per cent increased chance of dying.
