What Happened to Ruth Bader Ginsburg?
American Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been taken to hospital following concern for a possible infection. The judge was taken to The Johns Hopkins Hospital for treatment.
Ginsburg, who turned 87 this March, has been facing health issues for a while now but this is the first time since January 2019 that she has missed oral arguments in a case.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospitalized As Doctors Worry A Possible Infection
Health officials are concerned for the Supreme Court judge as they suspect a possible infection. Ginsburg was first taken to Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C. where she was evaluated. The judge had a fever and experienced chills while there.
Later, she was taken to The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. According to her spokesperson, she underwent an endoscopic procedure to clean a bile duct stent placed in August 2019.
Similarly, her spokesperson said that the judge was resting comfortably after undergoing antibacterial treatment at the Johns Hopkins Hospital.
She Served Uninterrupted Before Being Hospitalized
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has suffered from health problems for a long time now, in fact, she has served most of her time in the high court and the Supreme court plagued by health issues but she tends to fight through the problems.
As a matter of fact, in May she heard a case over the phone while in her hospital bed recovering from a benign gallbladder condition. At the time, it took her a while before the judge began her normal on-point questioning.
Before that, she spoke in a weak voice and was behind on the questioning.
The Last Time She Missed Oral Arguments Was When Removing Cancerous Nodes
The 87-year-old had two cancerous nodes removed from her left lung in late 2018. It was a serious surgery and took a toll on her body but she still participated in the cases via transcripts.
Before this, she fractured 3 ribs when she fell in her office in November 2018. She was 85 at the time and was admitted to George Washington University.
During her treatment she missed the investiture of controversial Justice Brett Kavanaugh into office. His appointment into the court gave the Republicans a 5-4 majority.
RBG Has Battled Cancer Multiple Times
One of the earliest cases of RBG getting treatment for cancer was back in 1999, six years after she got appointed into court. She underwent surgery for colon cancer.
The surgery was successful and she recovered well. Similarly, she received treatment for pancreatic cancer in 2009. The cancer returned in August 2019.
In August, doctors treated her and said that they did not find evidence of cancer anywhere. In 2009, she had early stages of pancreatic cancer.
The treatment, called stereotactic ablative radiation therapy took over 3 weeks beginning on August 5.
Nothing seems to stop her and she has been nicknamed the “Notorious RBG” because of her tenacity. The name represents her tough nature which is similar to the late rapper Notorious B.I.G.
In July 2018, she said that she had around 5 years in the top brass of law in the USA. She added that her colleague Justice John Paul Stevens retired when he was 90 years old.
The Tough Justice Became An Icon Due To Her Tenacity
The liberal head in the court has been nicknamed the Notorious RBG. Even though she has faced a lot of health issues, she has not been interrupted too many times from her work.
RBG also became popular with young liberals and women because of her effort for equal rights.
Ginsburg is also one of the law experts who has publicly backed the MeToo movement.
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