On Friday, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was admitted to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore after first being admitted to Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court announced the news on Saturday, predicting she would be released on Sunday morning.
The Court said she had experienced “chills and fever” earlier on Friday. She was transferred to Johns Hopkins Hospital for “further evaluation and treatment of any possible infection. With intravenous antibiotics and fluids, her symptoms have abated and she expects to be released from the hospital as early as Sunday morning.”
“The notorious RBG” is the Supreme Court’s oldest justice (age 86). This year, the liberal justice has had two cancer scares. She missed arguments this past January for the first time since 1993, recovering from cancer surgery in December 2018. In August, the Court announced Ginsburg had undergone a three-week treatment for malignant pancreatic cancer. She had also broken three ribs in a fall last November.
Ginsburg is the Court’s most notorious liberal. A recent film told her story, highlighting the fact that she achieved a groundbreaking legal career while also raising a family. She played key roles in cases where the Supreme Court arguably made law by reinterpreting the Constitution, especially the abortion case Roe v. Wade (1973) and the same-sex marriage case Obergefell v. Hodges (2015). Even so, she has carried on friendships with conservative justices — including Antonin Scalia and Brett Kavanaugh — which have offended liberal commentators.
It seems unlikely RBG will retire, especially with President Donald Trump in office. Even so, it seems her age may be catching up with her. If she does pass away, expect a tense partisan battle.
I wish RBG a speedy recovery.
Follow Tyler O’Neil, the author of this article, on Twitter at @Tyler2ONeil.
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