Mike Norris, Co-Editor, The American Dossier
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was admitted to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore Friday night after experiencing chills and a fever earlier in the day, the Supreme Court said Saturday.
In a statement, the court’s public information office said Ginsburg, 86, was initially evaluated at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C., before being transferred to Johns Hopkins for further evaluation and treatment of any possible infection.
Ginsberg’s symptoms have abated after receiving intravenous antibiotics and fluids. She is expected to be released from the hospital as early as Sunday morning, according to the statement.
Appointed to the high court by then-President Bill Clinton in 1993, Ginsburg is the oldest sitting justice on the Supreme Court.
Ginsburg has recently suffered a series of health scares. A four-time cancer survivor, she previously received treatment for colon cancer in 1999, and pancreatic cancer in 2009.
In August 2018, Ginsberg received three weeks of radiation treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, after a tumor was discovered on her pancreas. The radiation therapy included the insertion of a stent in Ginsburg's bile duct, according to a statement issued by the court.
Doctors at Sloan Kettering said further tests showed no evidence of cancer elsewhere in the body.
In November 2018, Ginsberg was hospitalized after fracturing three ribs in a fall in her office at the court. While taking CT scans of her ribs after the fall, doctors noticed an abnormality in one lobe of her lung.
In December 2018, doctors at Sloan Kettering performed a lobectomy on Ginsberg, removing one of the five lobes of her lung. Her recovery caused her to miss court sessions in January 2019, the first time she has missed court sessions during her tenure as a justice.
Recently, Ginsberg missed oral arguments before the high court on November 13 due to a stomach bug. She returned on November 18 for the court's next public meeting.
Ginsburg's health has become a recurring issue in American politics as the court grapples with the impending vacancy of her seat. However, when that vacancy will occur remains unknown.
The Constitution has no provision to remove a justice for poor health or incapacity and Supreme Court Justices have served the court with a variety of mental and physical incapacities.
Justice Nathan Clifford was described as a “babbling idiot,” but continued to serve on the court until his death. Justice Henry Baldwin served on the court for more than a decade after being hospitalized for “incurable lunacy.”
Justice Frank Murphy and Justice William Rehnquist were alleged to have drug addiction issues while serving on the court.
The decision on when to retire is left to each justice, but the chief justice is expected to address questions over the fitness of the members.
Were Ginsburg to leave the court prior to the January 2021 inauguration, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has made it clear that the Senate would immediately fill the vacancy.
Since taking office, President Donald Trump has made two appointments to the high court, Neil Gorsuch in 2017 and Brett Kavanaugh in 2018, giving the court a 5-4 conservative majority on most votes.
Ginsberg’s vacancy would allow Trump to appoint a third justice to the court, ensuring a 6-to-3 conservative majority on the court for decades to come.
Earlier this year, Ginsburg said that she will "stay on the job" as long as she can "do it full steam." "I was OK this last term. I expect to be OK next term," she said. "And after that we'll just have to see."
After serving as an Airborne Infantryman in the 82nd Airborne Division, Mike attended Florida State University, where he received his Bachelors Degree in Political Science and George Washington University, where he received his Masters in Political Management. Mike is currently attending the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, where he is pursuing his Juris Doctorate.
Since 2004, Mike has worked in the Florida Senate, where he was one of only two Chief’s of Staff under 30 and in the Michigan Senate, where he served as the Legislative Aide to the Assistant Minority Floor Leader. The 2018 election cycle was Mike’s eighth as a Political Consultant.
Mike previously served as the Secretary and Vice President of the Tampa Bay Young Republicans, Regional Vice Chair for the Florida Federated Young Republicans and attended the 2012 Republican National Convention as an Alternate Delegate. He currently lives in Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, with his rescue Pit Bull, Ike.
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