Although he is not a political figure, Mr Sombath was a prominent campaigner who promoted fair land rights for small farmers, which is a sensitive issue in Laos, the BBC's Nga Pham reports from Bangkok.
While they would, no doubt, staunchly defend their right to spend time with whomever they wish, one would think that a lifetime appointment to the highest court in the land might obligate those who hold this vaunted position to be supremely sensitive to the appearance of impartiality.