Justice Clarence Thomas Released from Hospital
WASHINGTON — Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was discharged from Washington’s Sibley Memorial Hospital Friday morning, a week after being admitted with “flu-like” symptoms.
In announcing his hospitalization, the court said Thomas had been diagnosed with an infection, that he was being treated with intravenous antibiotics, and that his symptoms were “abating.”
Since then the court had issued no further updates on his condition, and the 73-year-old justice did not participate in oral arguments before the court on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday.
The lack of information about Thomas’ condition was not unusual. The Supreme Court often provides relatively few details about the justices’ health.
On Monday, however, Chief Justice John Roberts announced from the bench that Thomas “is unable to be present today but will participate in consideration and decision” in the cases before the court this week based on court briefs and transcripts of the arguments.
Then on Thursday, TMZ caught up with Justice Stephen Breyer as he was about to enter the Cafe Milano for lunch with his wife.
Pausing outside the popular restaurant on Prospect St. NW to politely answer a reporter’s question about Thomas, Breyer offered a quick “I think he’s fine” before ducking inside and getting out of the rain.
Thomas is currently the longest-serving justice on the high court, and the second-oldest, behind the 83-year-old Breyer, who is retiring at the end of this term.
Thomas was discharged less than a day after several news outlets revealed that his wife, Virginia Thomas, had repeatedly urged then-President Trump’s top aide Mark Meadows to try to overturn the 2020 election following President Joe Biden’s victory.
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