According to the media back then, he was the "picture of health." What I don't understand, is that usually one seizure puts you on a drug like Dilantin for the rest of your life. My Father had one seizure and took Dilantin until the day he died. Maybe being hit in the head knocked some sense into it.
Posted by Judith at July 30, 2007 04:50 PMI bet Bush nearly had heart failure upon hearing this bit of news.
Posted by Judith at July 30, 2007 04:56 PMAs I said on an earlier thread, Bush may get to make another SCOTUS nominee.
The Senate had better grow a spine this time and say "NO" to the next winger Bush sends them to confirm.
Posted by Christopher at July 30, 2007 05:02 PMI wonder if he will abide by the same dmv laws that other seizure sufferers are bound by.
Posted by Cordier at July 30, 2007 05:07 PMTrust me, Cordier, USSC Justices do NOT drive themselves anywhere. I once attended function where Bader-Gisburg was a speaker and she arrived with a cortege of U.S. Deputies flanking her. (:>
Posted by Donald Cormac at July 30, 2007 05:17 PMCordier, what laws are those?
Posted by Judith at July 30, 2007 05:17 PMOh, you mean driving. I think they can drive if they are medicated. My Dad drove.
Posted by Judith at July 30, 2007 05:21 PMIt would be interesting to kmow if it was a "grand mal" seizure or not. That would tell us if he is a Southern Comfort fan or not. Awk, noooo, he couldn't be!
Posted by tempus at July 30, 2007 05:46 PMKharma
Posted by T2 at July 30, 2007 06:19 PMCan we start the discussion yet on term limits for the Sumpreme Court?
Posted by Julie at July 30, 2007 06:32 PMGiven that Chuck Schumer recently said he would not ever allow another Bush nominee to get past the judiciary committee, this could take a very interesting turn.
Posted by butterb4guns at July 30, 2007 06:49 PMYou know, it wasn't all that long ago that folks like Falwell and Dobson and Haggard and other pious Talibangelists would be say this "was a sign from an angry God". What do you suppose upsets God som much that He'd smite a Supreme?
Posted by gtash at July 30, 2007 07:07 PMhit on back of head, ashen and frothing at the mouth, from the local paper?
that seems like the description of two separate events, likely this being caused by the seizure, fall, hit on head.
and that does sound like a grand mal seizure, perhaps the aftermath. it does not sound like the result of a fall unless perhaps it was a severe head injury? I don't want to guess like frist does, just going on what has been written so far.
important information is lacking from these reports
I'm less concerned that he has had seizures before than that the last one was considered "stress-related". That sort of thing is rare and makes me wonder what "stress" he was experiencing on vacation. A great many people have seizures, it shouldn't be seen as a big deal, as long he he's getting appropriate care. For a a lot of people--2 seizures in 14 years is not bad. As for Dilantin--there are far more modern drugs, with fewer side effects, but some people still take Dilantin.
Posted by Rich at July 30, 2007 07:40 PMGtash, according to conservatives, God's wrath is reserved for liberals only.
Posted by Judith at July 30, 2007 07:41 PMWhen the White House says there's nothing to worry about, I don't think they're talking to us.
Posted by kaleidescope at July 30, 2007 08:24 PMYou're skating on the edge here.
Epilepsy is not, trust me, fun. Two seizures some years apart does not indicate a very severe condition. In my early 20s I was seizing 2 or 3 times a year. Stress is almost always assigned as an element of a seizure, but that can mean anything. Most neurologists would not take a single seizure as evidence of epilepsy, because about 25% of the population have a single, isolated seziure some time in their life.
Epilepsy has no impact, with very, very rare exceptions, on your ability to do your job. Epilepsy is not related to character, intelligence or ability.
That hasn't stopped any amount of silliness in my life, up to and including the two relatives who took me aside a long time ago and quietly asked me if I should have children or the boss who said he would never have hired me if he'd known, even though I'd never had a seizure at work. (I had taken a couple of sick days over 7 years.) It's a shame to read the Left Coaster and encounter similar attitudes.
Roberts is a really bad judge, but not because of his neurology.
Posted by Alan at July 30, 2007 09:07 PMGood points Alan.
Posted by Steve Soto at July 30, 2007 10:19 PMThat wasn't a seizure. It was just Cheney checking to see if the implant worked.
Posted by kaleidescope at July 30, 2007 10:22 PMCan we start the discussion yet on term limits for the Sumpreme Court?
The best comment made here.
Why do SCOTUS judges serve for life? There's no argument compelling enough to justify a lifetime spent on the bench.
Cap them at 8 or 12 years.
Posted by Christopher at July 31, 2007 04:19 AM"Why do SCOTUS judges serve for life? There's no argument compelling enough to justify a lifetime spent on the bench."
I agree Christoper. Forty years of Roberts on the Court is almost unthinkable.
Posted by Judith at July 31, 2007 06:13 AMI wonder if he will abide by the same dmv laws that other seizure sufferers are bound by.
If you're wealthy or important enough, you don't drive yourself anywhere. Ever. Epilepsy irrelevant.
If you're my brother-in-law, a professional pizza cook and legally considered disabled, you walk, ride a bike, or scam rides everywhere.
Posted by idiosynchronic at July 31, 2007 06:19 AMThe term of Supreme Court justices should be limited to prevent partisanship as well as mental or physical decrepitude. None of the major world democracies allows life tenure for their highest courts. Even in the US, only Rhode Island copies the federal life-tenure model for its highest court.
There is a good discussion of this subject at:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BUE/is_11_137/ai_n17208758
“The Constitution should be amended to provide that Justices serve a term of 20 years or until age 72, whichever comes first. This would not diminish judicial independence, and it would also discourage Presidents from appointing extremely young Justices with the expectation that they would serve for inordinately long terms.”
Other good articles are:
http://writ.news.findlaw.com/amar/20020823.html
and
http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2006-01-15-graham-edit_x.htm
Jonathan
I agree Christoper. Forty years of Roberts on the Court is almost unthinkable.
Alito, too.
I keep hearing rumors that Scalia wants to retire while Bush is in office and can find a suitable (READ: winger) replacement for him.
This can't be allowed to happen.
Posted by Christopher at July 31, 2007 07:03 AMPerhaps it was his conscience, and not a seizure. Given his rulings since he's been on the bench, i'd say its a toss up.
Who says vacations aren't stressful? If you're a workaholic (many lawyers are) a vacation is filled with stressers you can't control. Unlike at work where you are the chief Justice.
I wish him many years of health -- after he realizes that the supreme court is not for him.
Posted by ltgesq at July 31, 2007 08:06 AMI've seen people who have had head injuries, have severe seizures. Some repeatedly, others infrequently.
Alcoholics coming down off booze and people who abruptly stop certain medications can have seizures also.
Thankfully, they were in VA hospitals and had assisitence given them immediately.
Roberts will have a special "Chief-mobile" (sorta like a "Pope-mobile") constructed for him to motor around on while at the court. Lots of padding, auto-pilot cruise control, so he will be able to "lose control" even on slippery granite floors and steps! (sarcasm)
He'll happily be having his seizures when he's declaring any Dem-passed law unconstitutional in his 80s, thirty-plus years from now.
Minor health issues like this are meaningless when you're in this power-league.
Posted by euzoius at July 31, 2007 08:34 AMIf you're my brother-in-law, a professional pizza cook and legally considered disabled, you walk, ride a bike, or scam rides everywhere.
Dang, he can't even use the disabled parking spots!
Posted by Seven of Six at July 31, 2007 08:40 AM