U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been hospitalized due to three broken ribs, a spokesperson said in a statement.
"Notorious RBG," as she's known by her fans, fell in her office Wednesday evening. She went home anyway, but after experiencing discomfort overnight, she was admitted to George Washington University Hospital for observation on Thursday morning. There, doctors discovered the 85-year-old justice had broken three ribs on her left side.
Typically, it takes around six weeks for broken ribs to heal and justices are set to return to court on November 26. But if Ginsburg's history tells us anything, her injuries won't keep her away from work for long. In 2012, she also cracked two ribs but continued working as she recovered. And when she underwent a heart procedure that same year, she quickly returned to work. Ginsburg, who maintains a rigorous workout regime, is also a survivor of colon and pancreatic cancer. Back then, she was back in the office two weeks after getting surgery.
Of course, many liberals are concerned about Ginsburg's health. She is the oldest justice on the bench and her retirement would give President Donald Trump the opportunity to appoint a third conservative justice to the court. His previous appointments, Associate Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, have already tilted the balance of the court to the right. In the past, he predicted he could appoint four Supreme Court justices by the end of his first term.
Over the summer, Ginsburg expressed her resolve to remain on the court for years to come. "I'm now 85," Ginsburg said. "My senior colleague, Justice John Paul Stevens, he stepped down when he was 90, so think I have about at least five more years."
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