As Supreme Court term nears end, a time for justices to watch their footing
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Now, as the court returns to the bench on Monday with new rulings and heads into its final weeks, Justice Sonia Sotomayor is in a sling from shoulder surgery. She fell at her home last month.
The litany of justices going bandaged into June, traditionally the last month of the session, is anecdotal. Certainly, justices have taken spills at other times. Yet coming in the season that is also rife with retirement speculation, the late-spring pattern offers a reminder of the justices' sometimes precarious health.
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Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley on Thursday told talk show host Hugh Hewitt that he hopes if any justice is close to announcing a retirement, it happens soon. Grassley noted that the Senate, which has the power to confirm or reject a president's nominee, is already looking ahead to the busy midterm elections, where Democrats could win control.
"So my message to any one of the nine Supreme Court justices," Grassley said: "If you're thinking about quitting this year, do it yesterday."
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https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/12/politics/supreme-court-broken-bones/index.html