Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospitalized
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been hospitalized for what is being called a complication related to her gallbladder.
Ginsburg, 87, who is a staunch member of the court’s liberal wing, has battled cancer since 2018.
Although the court is in session, it is not currently meeting in person and is instead hearing cases remotely.
“Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg underwent non-surgical treatment for acute cholecystitis, a benign gallbladder condition, this afternoon at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland,” the Supreme Court said in a news release Tuesday.
“Following oral arguments on Monday, the Justice underwent outpatient tests at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C., that confirmed she was suffering from a gallstone that had migrated to her cystic duct, blocking it and causing an infection,” the statement said.
“The Justice is resting comfortably and plans to participate in the oral argument teleconference tomorrow morning remotely from the hospital. She expects to stay in the hospital for a day or two. Updates will be provided as they become available.”
As of last month, Ginsburg was exercising in a spot reserved for her, according to CNN.
“At Justice Ginsburg’s request, the Court has set aside the limited private space next to its health facility for Justice Ginsburg to exercise. Her doctors share her view that the training sessions are essential to her well-being,” Kathy Arberg, the court’s spokeswoman, said.
“The space is being used exclusively by the justice,” Arberg said. “No other justices are using the space, and the employee gym is closed to all users.”
In a July 2019 interview, when asked about retirement, the court’s oldest justice said that was not in her plans, according to CNN.
“I’ve always said I’ll stay on this job as long as I can do it full steam,” Ginsburg said then.
“I was OK this last term. I expect to be OK next term. And after that we’ll just have to see,” she said.
If Ginsburg were to retire with President Donald Trump in office, the expectation is that Trump would nominate a conservative in the mold of his two previous nominees — Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh. That would then alter the court from a 5-4 court with a solid wing of four liberal justices into a court with a likely 6-3 conservative majority, which would then tilt its rulings more to the right.
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has promised his court picks would go in a different direction.
“As chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Joe Biden was proud to oversee and support the confirmation of Justices Ginsburg and [Stephen] Breyer and lead the fight against many [Ronald] Reagan judicial nominees with horrible records on civil rights and civil liberties, like Judge [Robert] Bork,” T.J. Ducklo, national press secretary for the Biden campaign, said in a statement, according to CBS News.
“As Vice President, he advised President [Barack] Obama on the selection of Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, and played a major role in winning their confirmation; Kagan previously served on Biden’s staff.
“As president, Biden would appoint judges who share his values and would protect the Constitution, and has promised to make history by appointing the first African-American woman to the Supreme Court of the United States.”
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