Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Justice Ruth Bader GinsburgReuters

The White House is "reaching out to political allies and conservative activist groups to prepare for an ailing Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s possible death or departure from the Supreme Court," according to Politico.

The outreach reportedly began after Ginsburg, who is 85, Monday missed oral arguments at the court for the first time in her 25 years on the bench.

Ginsburg announced in late December that she had undergone a surgical procedure to remove two cancerous growths from her lungs. The Supreme Court said in a statement that Ginsburg had a pulmonary lobectomy, and her doctors said that post-surgery there was “no evidence of any remaining disease.”

The White House "is taking the temperature on possible short-list candidates, reaching out to key stakeholders, and just making sure that people are informed on the process," said a source who spoke on background.

"They're doing it very quietly, of course, because the idea is not to be opportunistic, but just to be prepared so we aren't caught flat-footed."