US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg fractured three ribs on her left side, the U.S. Supreme Court’s Public Information Office said Nov. 8.
“Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg fell in her office at the Court last evening,” the office said in a press release.
“She went home, but after experiencing discomfort overnight, went to George Washington University Hospital early this morning,” where she was “admitted for observation and treatment,” the press release said.
Ginsburg, who is 85 years old, was appointed by President Bill Clinton and took her seat on the court in 1993.
Ginsburg is a survivor of both colon cancer and pancreatic cancer. She had heart surgery in 2014. She has become a prominent figure in popular culture for her spirited dissents and intense workouts. She’s also inspired a pair of movies and skits on the television show Saturday Night Live.
Earlier this year, the justice reportedly said, “I’m now 85. My senior colleague, Justice John Paul Stevens, he stepped down when he was 90, so I think I have about at least five more years.”
In November 2014, she underwent a
heart procedure to have a stent placed in her right coronary artery, and in 2009, she was treated for early stages of pancreatic cancer.
In 1999, just six years after being sworn in as an associate justice, Ginsburg successfully underwent surgery to treat colon cancer.
Ginsburg, who became the second woman to serve on the high court following her appointment by President Bill Clinton in 1993, has become a progressive and pop culture icon.
Admirers have recently nicknamed her “Notorious RBG,” a play on the late rapper Notorious B.I.G., and have hailed her as a bulwark against conservative ideology because of her liberal opinions and dissents.
In particular, Ginsburg is seen by progressives as a bulwark against President Donald Trump, whom she criticized in 2016,
calling him a “faker.” She later
expressed regret over the remarks.
White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said Thursday that Ginsburg is “a very tough woman” and that she’s “praying for her.”
“I’ve known her for many, many years — got to see her just a few weeks ago here at the swearing-in of Justice Kavanaugh,” Conway told reporters, adding, “I hope she has a full and speedy recovery.”
