Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was hospitalized on Tuesday, May 5, due to a gallstone infection.
The 87-year-old justice underwent nonsurgical treatment for acute cholecystitis, which is a benign gallbladder condition, according to the Supreme Court via the Associated Press.
Her current hospital stay in Baltimore will not derail Ginsburg’s court arguments set for Wednesday, May 6. She still plans to do them via telephone, as she did with Monday and Tuesday’s arguments amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The court said that Ginsburg will most likely be in the hospital for a day or two and is doing well.
Her gallstone was first diagnosed on Monday, May 4, after she sought care for the pain. The Brooklyn native was previously hospitalized in November for what appeared to be an infection. She spent two nights at Johns Hopkins Hospital with chills and a fever.
The iconic political figure has fought cancer four times, most recently in August, but has persevered.
In December 2018, she underwent surgery to remove two malignant growths from her left lung. “Post-surgery, there was no evidence of any remaining disease,” the court’s statement read at the time. “Justice Ginsburg is resting comfortably and is expected to remain in the hospital for a few days.”
Her 2018 surgery came after she fractured three ribs in a fall at her Supreme Court office in November 2018. At the time she was briefly hospitalized for treatment and observation at George Washington Hospital in Washington D.C.
Ginsburg previously overcame colon cancer in 1999 and pancreatic cancer 10 years later.
The justice, who is the subject of the Netflix drama On the Basis of Sex?, has many celebrity fans, including Felicity Jones, who portrayed her in the film.
The British actress, 36, told Us Weekly exclusively in January 2019 that she was “insanely nervous” when meeting the legendary figure.
“I felt like I wanted to curtsy,” the Oscar nominee told Us. “Ruth was incredibly welcoming. We went to her office first and it felt like a very warm environment – covered in photographs of friends and family and all sorts of mementos that had been sent to her by her fans.”
