Logan Reid
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 87, was admitted to hospital on Tuesday morning for treatment of a possible infection, according to a court statement. Ginsburg, the oldest justice on the court, has faced a series of health issues in recent years, including bouts with lung and pancreatic cancer, as well as broken ribs. Her health is closely monitored as a Supreme Court vacancy could allow President Trump to appoint a third justice and push the court further to the right.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of Hospitalization | November 2018, August 2019, November 2019, May 2020, July 2020 |
| Reason for Hospitalization | Fall, radiation therapy for pancreatic cancer, fever and chills, gallstone and possible infection, cancerous nodules |
| Age | 85 or 87 |
| Health History | Colon cancer in 1999, pancreatic cancer in 2009, heart stent procedure in 2014, lung cancer in 2018 |
| Hospital | Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore |
| Treatment | Radiation therapy, antibiotics, fluids, intravenous antibiotic treatment, pulmonary lobectomy, nonsurgical treatment |
| Health Status | Released, doing well, symptoms abated |
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What You'll Learn
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the oldest U.S. Supreme Court Justice at 87 years old
- Ginsburg was admitted to hospital for a possible infection, fever and chills
- She underwent a procedure to clean a bile duct stent
- Ginsburg has had multiple health scares, including bouts with lung and pancreatic cancer
- Her health is closely watched because a Supreme Court vacancy could shift political leanings
Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the oldest U.S. Supreme Court Justice at 87 years old
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was the oldest member of the court at 87 years old. Ginsburg was born on March 15, 1933, and died on September 18, 2020, at the age of 87 from complications of metastatic pancreatic cancer. She served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1993 until her death in 2020.
Ginsburg was the second woman to serve on the Court and the first Jewish woman. During her tenure, she authored the majority opinions in several notable cases, including United States v. Virginia (1996) and Olmstead v. L.C. (1999). Ginsburg became known for her passionate dissents, which often reflected liberal views of the law. She was a proponent of the liberal dissenters speaking "with one voice" and presenting a unified approach.
Ginsburg's health was closely monitored due to her advanced age and history of health issues, including bouts with lung and pancreatic cancer. In July 2020, she was hospitalized for treatment of a possible infection and underwent a procedure to clean a bile duct stent. Ginsburg had experienced previous health scares, including a hospitalization in November 2019 for fever and chills, as well as radiation therapy for pancreatic cancer in August of that same year.
The health of the Supreme Court justices is often monitored closely as a vacancy can shift the ideological balance of the court. Ginsburg's death in 2020 resulted in one of three major rightward shifts in the Court since 1953, with her replacement by Amy Coney Barrett.
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Ginsburg was admitted to hospital for a possible infection, fever and chills
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was admitted to hospital for a possible infection, a court spokeswoman said on Tuesday morning. Ginsburg, 87, was initially examined at a hospital in Washington, D.C., on Monday night after experiencing fever and chills. Ginsburg has had several health scares in recent years, including bouts with lung and pancreatic cancer. Her health is closely monitored because a Supreme Court vacancy could give Republican President Donald Trump the opportunity to appoint a third justice and shift the court further to the right.
Ginsburg underwent a procedure at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore on Tuesday afternoon to clean a bile duct stent that was placed in August 2019. She had previously been treated for pancreatic cancer in 2009 and colon cancer in 1999. In November 2018, she broke three ribs in a fall, and subsequent medical tests led to treatment for lung cancer. Ginsburg also underwent surgery in December 2018 to remove two cancerous nodules from her left lung.
Despite her health issues, Ginsburg, the oldest justice on the Supreme Court, has never missed arguments before the court. She has continued to work while in hospital, including after her surgery in 2018. Ginsburg was expected to remain in hospital for a few days to receive intravenous antibiotic treatment. Her symptoms abated after antibiotics and fluids, and she was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday. Ginsburg's health has been the subject of recent concern, with the justice undergoing nonsurgical treatment for a gallstone in May 2020. She was hospitalized for two nights in November 2019 with a fever and chills but returned to work at the court the day after her release.
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She underwent a procedure to clean a bile duct stent
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was admitted to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore on Tuesday, July 14, 2020, for treatment of a possible infection. Ginsburg, 87, was initially examined at a hospital in Washington, D.C., on Monday night after experiencing fever and chills.
Ginsburg has also been treated for colon cancer in 1999 and pancreatic cancer in 2009. In November 2018, she fell and broke three ribs, which led to the discovery of two cancerous nodules in her lungs. Despite these health issues, Ginsburg, the oldest justice on the Supreme Court, had never missed arguments before the court prior to this hospitalisation.
Ginsburg was discharged from the hospital on Wednesday, July 15, 2020, and was said to be "doing well and glad to be home" by court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg.
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Ginsburg has had multiple health scares, including bouts with lung and pancreatic cancer
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has had multiple health scares, including bouts with lung and pancreatic cancer. In 1999, six years after her appointment to the Supreme Court, she was treated for early-stage colon cancer. A decade later, she was treated for pancreatic cancer.
In November 2018, she broke three ribs in a fall. CT scans of her ribs revealed an abnormality in her lung, and subsequent biopsies and other tests revealed two non-small cell cancerous lesions. In December 2018, she underwent surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, where doctors removed one of the five lobes of her lung. The surgery was performed by world-renowned lung surgeon Dr. Valerie W. Rusch, who used a robot and video cameras to perform the operation. Ginsburg made a full recovery and returned to the court in early January 2019.
In August 2019, Ginsburg underwent radiation therapy to treat a recurrence of pancreatic cancer. She experienced additional health issues in 2020, including a possible infection in July and a hospital stay in November due to a fever and chills. Ginsburg's health was closely monitored, as a Supreme Court vacancy would give President Donald Trump an opportunity to appoint a new justice and shift the ideological balance of the court.
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Her health is closely watched because a Supreme Court vacancy could shift political leanings
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the oldest member of the court at 87, has faced several health issues in recent years. Ginsburg was admitted to the hospital in July 2020 for treatment of a possible infection. She underwent a procedure to clean a bile duct stent that had been placed in August 2019, when she also underwent radiation therapy for pancreatic cancer. Ginsburg has had multiple bouts of cancer, including pancreatic, lung, and colon cancer, as well as heart issues. She has also broken ribs in a fall and undergone surgery to remove cancerous nodes from her lungs.
Ginsburg's health is closely watched because she is the court's senior liberal member, and a Supreme Court vacancy could shift the political leanings of the court. If a vacancy were to occur, Republican President Donald Trump would have the opportunity to appoint a third justice to the nine-member court, moving it further to the right. The court currently has a 5-4 conservative majority, including two justices appointed by Trump: Brett Kavanaugh in 2018 and Neil Gorsuch in 2017. White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows has stated that in the event of a vacancy, Trump would be expected to act quickly to nominate and confirm a new justice.
Despite her health issues, Ginsburg has consistently returned to work at the court and has never missed arguments before the court. She has worked from the hospital on multiple occasions and swiftly returned to her duties after health scares. Ginsburg's resilience and commitment to her work have earned her admiration, and her health is a matter of concern for those who recognize the potential impact of a Supreme Court vacancy on the political landscape.
Ginsburg's health has been a topic of discussion for several years, with reports of her health issues and hospitalizations dating back to at least 2018. Her ability to continue serving on the court despite her health issues has been a source of reassurance for those concerned about the potential shift in the court's political leanings. However, with each new health scare, the possibility of a vacancy draws closer, and the court's conservative majority could be further solidified if Trump is able to appoint another justice.
The impact of a potential Supreme Court vacancy extends beyond the immediate shift in political leanings. The appointment of a new justice by Trump could have long-lasting consequences for the court's decisions and interpretations of the law, potentially affecting civil rights, social issues, and other areas of American life for years to come. Ginsburg's health, therefore, remains under close scrutiny as stakeholders anticipate the potential impact of any changes in the composition of the Supreme Court.
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Frequently asked questions
No, there is no evidence that she was airlifted to the hospital. However, Ginsburg was admitted to the hospital on multiple occasions in 2018, 2019, and 2020 for various health issues.
Ginsburg was hospitalized for various reasons, including:
- Treatment for cancerous nodes in her lungs in 2018.
- A possible infection in 2020.
- Fever and chills in 2019.
Yes, Ginsburg has had several health scares over the years, including:
- Treatment for pancreatic cancer in 2009 and 2019.
- Treatment for colon cancer in 1999.
- A heart stent procedure in 2014.
- Breaking three ribs in a fall in 2018.
