The 81-year-old Supreme Court Justice blamed her colleague Anthony Kennedy for poorly timed catnap
Kennedy, she said, brought a 'very fine California wine' to dinner that was too good not to indulge in; that's the same excuse she used in 2013
'I vowed this year just sparkling water,' Ginsburg revealed. 'But in the end, the dinner was so delicious, it needed wine to accompany it'
By FRANCESCA CHAMBERS FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

PUBLISHED: 10:06 EDT, 13 February 2015 | UPDATED: 11:17 EDT, 13 February 2015

Ruth Bader Ginsburg says she wasn't '100 percent sober' when she nodded off during President Barack Obama's State of the Union address last month.

The 81-year-old Supreme Court Justice blamed her colleague Anthony Kennedy for poorly timed catnap, telling attendees of a Smithsonian Associates event in Washington, D.C. that he brought a 'very fine California wine' to dinner that was too good not to indulge in.

Blame it on the alcohol: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, center, says she wasn't '100 percent sober' when she nodded off during the president's State of the Union address last month. Ginsburg says that former Justice David Souter used to keep her awake, but now she's sandwiched between Anthony Kennedy, her left, and Stephen Breyer, her right, and 'they’re sort of timid about it'

Even though she passed out, President Barack Obama still gave Justice Ginsburg a hug after his annual speech +2
Snooze fest: President Barack Obama hugs Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the Capitol's House chamber before he delivered his 2015 State of the Union address - which she slept through. Ginsburg also fell asleep during Obama's 2013 speech to a joint session of Congress

'The audience – for the most part – is awake because they’re bobbing up and down all the time and we sit there stone-faced, sober judges,' Ginsburg said at the Georgetown University event on Thursday evening, according to CBS.

'At least I wasn’t 100 percent sober because before we went to the State of the Union we had dinner,' she said.

Ginsburg also fell asleep during Obama's 2013 address to a joint session of Congress. Her excuse then? A 'very good California wine' that Justice Kennedy brought to dinner.

Kennedy's wine apparently got the best of her this year, too, and she again dozed off during the president's televised speech.

'Justice Kennedy brought in … it was an Opus something or other, very fine California wine that Justice Kennedy brought and I vowed this year just sparkling water, stay away from the wine,' Ginsburg revealed on Thursday.

'But in the end, the dinner was so delicious, it needed wine to accompany it,' she said.

After the president's address was over, Ginsburg said one of her granddaughters called her up to let her know that she'd again been caught napping on camera.

'She said, "Bubbe, you were sleeping at the State of the Union," ' Ginsburg recalled.

Justice Antonin Scalia, who was also at last night's event, teasingly told Ginsburg, 'Well, that’s the first intelligent thing you’ve done.'

Ginsburg said that former Justice David Souter used to help keep her awake during the president's lengthy remarks.

'When he was on the court, he was on one side and he had an acute sense of when I was about to [nod off],' Ginsburg said, per The Blaze.

'Now I have Justice Kennedy on one side, Justice Breyer, and they’re sort of timid about it.'

Ruth Bader Ginsburg reveals she wasn't '100 percent sober' when she fell asleep during the State of the Union

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2951434/Ruth-Bader-Ginsburg-reveal...