INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana Chief Justice Loretta Rush said Thursday she is still dealing with her COVID-19 illness as she joined the first state Supreme Court arguments held since she tested positive for the coronavirus infection 11 days earlier.
Rush and the four other justices all joined online as they heard arguments from attorneys in three cases Thursday morning. She opened the first hearing by thanking those who had sent her cards and messages of encouragement.
“COVID 19 can present many challenging conditions, some of which I’ve been working through the last two weeks,” Rush said. “I can tell you I am very pleased to be here today.”
Rush learned Sept. 13 that she had tested positive for the virus, undergoing the test after a family member had a positive test, the court said last week.
Rush has remained under quarantine since then and has not needed hospital treatment, court spokeswoman Sarah Kidwell. Rush has been working from home.
The 62-year-old Rush has been Indiana’s chief justice since 2014. She was a Tippecanoe County judge before being picked for the state Supreme Court in 2012.
She is the highest-ranking state official to disclose a coronavirus infection.
