The Supreme Court issued a statement late Tuesday revealing that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had a non-surgical treatment for a benign gallbladder condition earlier in the day. At the time of the release, Ginsburg was said to be “resting comfortably” at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.
Ginsburg is a liberal stalwart known for her opinions related to civil rights, including the landmark case that opened the Virginia Military Institute to women.
Her dissents in recent years have represented a rallying cry for Democrats as the Supreme Court has moved to the right.
Ginsburg, now 87, has been plagued by health issues in recent years, including four bouts with cancer and three fractured ribs from a fall in her office.
The news comes as the court began on Monday, for the first time in its history, hearing oral arguments via teleconference. Also for the first time, those arguments are being livestreamed.
Ginsburg plans to participate via teleconference from the hospital on Wednesday, and expects to leave Johns Hopkins “in a day or two.”
Ginsburg was dubbed the “Notorious RBG,” in 2013 when the court majority issued a decision rolling back voting-rights protections and she dissented.
In 2018, the documentary RBG examined her storied life and career.
Here is the text of the Supreme Court statement in full:
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg underwent non-surgical treatment for acute cholecystitis, a benign gallbladder condition, this afternoon at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. Following oral arguments on Monday, the Justice underwent outpatient tests at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C., that confirmed she was suffering from a gallstone that had migrated to her cystic duct, blocking it and causing an infection. The Justice is resting comfortably and plans to participate in the oral argument teleconference tomorrow morning remotely from the hospital. She expects to stay in the hospital for a day or two.