WASHINGTON — Justice Clarence Thomas was discharged from the hospital Friday after a stay of nearly a week, the Supreme Court said.
Thomas, 73, had entered the hospital last Friday evening after experiencing “flu-like symptoms." He was treated for an infection with intravenous antibiotics, the court said Sunday in announcing his hospitalization. He had been expected to be released from the hospital Monday or Tuesday.
The court did not say why he remained in the hospital longer than initially thought or what kind of infection he was treated for.
Thomas did not have COVID-19, the court said. He has been vaccinated and boosted, like the rest of the court.
The justice missed arguments at the high court on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, but Chief Justice John Roberts said he would participate in the cases using briefs the parties filed and the transcript of the arguments.
Thomas, a conservative and appointee of former President George H.W. Bush, has been on the court since 1991.
He was released from the hospital one day after a report revealed his wife, Virginia Thomas, sent weeks of text messages imploring White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows to act to overturn the 2020 presidential election — furthering then-President Donald Trump's debunked claims that the free and fair vote was marred by nonexistent fraud. That's according to copies of the messages obtained by The Washington Post and CBS News.
Trump and his allies have continued to cling to the false claims that the voting was rigged in the 2020 election, claims that have been thoroughly debunked.