WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews) – Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has been hospitalized since Friday with “flu-like symptoms.”
The pro-life, conservative justice was admitted to Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C. on Friday night, a press statement from the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) announced on Sunday evening.
— SCOTUSblog (@SCOTUSblog) March 20, 2022
After doctors carried out tests on Thomas, he “was diagnosed with an infection” and subsequently treated using “intravenous antibiotics.”
According to the press release, the 73-year-old justice’s condition is improving and he “expects to be released from the hospital in a day or two.”
“Justice Thomas will participate in the consideration and discussion of any cases for which he is not present on the basis of briefs, transcripts, and audio of the oral arguments,” the statement reads.
Messages of praise and offerings of prayers for Thomas from fellow conservatives flooded social media following the news of his health scare.
Pro-life advocate Lila Rose and journalist Jack Posobiec called for prayers for the jurist, while conservative author Nick Adams tweeted that “[n]ow, more than ever, America needs this man at his strongest.”
Massive prayers for the GOAT Clarence Thomas pic.twitter.com/mxamxlRfC3
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) March 21, 2022
Everyone please join me in praying for Justice Clarence Thomas. Now, more than ever, America needs this man at his strongest.
— Nick Adams (@NickAdamsinUSA) March 21, 2022
Thomas is the second black man to ascend to the Supreme Court, taking the place of liberal justice and first black member Thurgood Marshall in 1991 after being nominated by President George H.W. Bush. Thomas is currently the longest-serving member on the bench with a tenure of over 30 years.
Following the retirement of left-leaning judge Stephen Breyer in January, President Joe Biden nominated D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to replace him.
Pro-life groups have warned that Jackson is radically pro-abortion while abortion advocates have welcomed her nomination, with NARAL pro-choice America President Mini Timmaraju saying Jackson has “a demonstrated record of defending and upholding our constitutional rights and fundamental freedoms — including reproductive freedom.”
Jackson is slated to appear before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee Monday, kicking off a four-day hearing process for her potential succession to the nation’s highest court.