[Photo: Sonia Sotomayor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagan, prior to Kagan's investiture ceremony in 2010]

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg indicated Thursday that she intends to remain on the Supreme Court as long as she can, predicting that the "pendulum" of American politics will eventually swing back toward the center.

"I will do this job as long as I can do it full steam," Ginsburg, 83, said at an appearance Thursday night at George Washington University. "When I can't, that will be the time I will step down."

 

Ginsburg noted in an interview with BBC that Justice John Paul Stevens was 90 when he retired and said: "So I have a way to go."

The health of Ginsburg, who's widely considered the most reliable liberal vote on the court, has driven concern among liberals and activists concerned that President Donald Trump could reshape the court for years to come.

Ginsburg was careful to avoid commenting on Trump after she apologized last year for making critical comments about him. But she said, "We are not experiencing the best times."

"Some terrible things have happened in the United States, but one can only hope that we learn from those bad things," Ginsburg said. Asked what she meant by that at her appearance Thursday night, Ginsburg replied: "We are not as mindful of what makes America great."

Among those things is the right to speak out, Ginsburg said, and "another is the words written on the Statute of Liberty, the idea of our nation being receptive to all people, welcoming of all people."