Justice Ginsburg continues 'essential' Supreme Court workouts during COVID-19 threat

YinYang/iStock(WASHINGTON) -- Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg isn't letting COVID-19 disrupt her world famous workouts.

The 87-year-old justice is still doing her planks and leg lifts inside the US Supreme Court at a "limited private space" set up for exercise at her request, spokeswoman Kathy Arberg confirmed to ABC News.

The Court's regular fitness facility for the justices and staff has been closed to conform with social-distancing guidelines imposed by public health officials.

"Her doctors share her view that the training sessions are essential to her well-being," Arberg said in a statement explaining the arrangement. "The space is being used exclusively by the Justice."

Late last year, Ginsburg, the high court's oldest member and celebrated feminist icon, was briefly hospitalized for a "stomach bug," just weeks after undergoing treatment for a recurrence of pancreatic cancer.

In a January interview with CNN, Ginsburg said, "I'm cancer-free. That's good."

Throughout her health battles, Ginsburg has credited a regular fitness regimen with maintaining her strength and resilience.

Ginsburg's longtime personal trainer Bryant Johnson told legal blog Law360 this week that he was still working with the justice under additional safety conditions -- wiping down the equipment, washing their hands and staying at least 6-feet apart. He also told the blog that he had discontinued training sessions with other clients.

"Everybody's been shut down. The only reason why I didn't shut the justice down is because, hey, she ain't having it," Johnson told Law360. "She has that grandfather status to me and if she wants to train, that’s the least that I can do."

It's unclear whether Johnson is continuing to train with Ginsburg in-person after DC Mayor Muriel Bowser implemented a stay-at-home order on April 1st, shutting down all non-essential business in the city.

The Supreme Court closed its doors to the public last month and took the extraordinary step of postponing oral arguments for more than a dozen cases -- the most significant disruption to the court's business in more than 100 years.

Arberg said all of the justices remain healthy and working remotely on court business. The justices on Friday convened their regular weekly conference by phone and plan to release more opinions in pending cases on Monday.

Six Supreme Court justices are 65 or older and many have underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk from COVID-19.

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