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Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Will Skip Trump's State of the Union Address

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U.S. Ruth Bader Ginsburg Supreme Court State of the Union State

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

Instead, Ginsburg will be participating in a "fireside chat" at the Roger Williams University School of Law, together with First U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Senior Judge Bruce M. Selya.

The talk was scheduled in August.

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Speaking at Georgetown Law on Wednesday, Ruth Bader Ginsburg acknowledged that the Supreme Court's upcoming decisions will be significant. Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images

This is not the first time Ginsburg has chosen to skip a Trump speech.

Last year, Ginsburg failed to attend Trump's joint address in Congress in February. In contrast, Ginsburg attended all eight of former President Barack Obama's addresses to Congress during his tenure, as noted by The Hill.

Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas also did not attend Trump's address.

During the presidential campaign in 2016, Ginsburg made disparaging remarks about then-candidate Trump to the Associated Press and other news outlets. Trump responded in a tweet, saying Ginsburg's mind was "shot" and should step down from the Court.

Justice Ginsburg of the U.S. Supreme Court has embarrassed all by making very dumb political statements about me. Her mind is shot - resign!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 13, 2016

It is not uncommon for Supreme Court Justices to skip the State of the Union. Late Justice Antonin Scalia did not attend a State of the Union Address from 1997 until his death in 2016.

"You just sit there, looking stupid," Scalia told CNN in 2014.

Justice Samuel Alito has also chosen not to the attend the State of the Union address since 2010, after he famously shook his head and mouthed "not true" at Obama after the first-term President criticized the Court for its decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.

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Supreme Court Justices, including Chief Justice John Roberts, Clarence Thomas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer and Samuel Alito (left to right) attend a swearing in ceremony for new Supreme Court Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, U.S., April 10, 2017. Eric Segall writes that until we accept the Court is a political not legal institution, the confirmation process will continue to be a charade. Carlos Barria/reuters

Ginsburg has served on the Court since 1993. At the time of her confirmation she was only the second woman ever on the Supreme Court, the first being former Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, nominated by President Ronald Reagan in 1981.

Ginsburg, 84, is now the eldest Justice on the bench.

On Sunday, the Associated Press reported that Ginsburg intends to serve for years as to come, so long as she can go "full steam."

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