US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg fractures three ribs in fall

The 85-year-old was taken to hospital on Thursday after a fall in her office on Wednesday night

United States

Reuters

Published: 10:39pm, 8 Nov 2018

Why you can trust SCMP

US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was taken to hospital on Thursday after she fell in her office at the court the night before, fracturing three ribs, a court spokeswoman said.

The 85-year-old justice initially went home after the fall, but experienced discomfort overnight. She went to George Washington University Hospital on Thursday morning.

Tests showed she fractured three ribs on her left side and she was admitted for observation and treatment, said the spokeswoman, Kathy Arberg.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg leaves the stage after speaking to first-year students at Georgetown Law in Washington in September. Photo: AP

Ginsburg, who has served on the court since 1993, is the oldest of the nine justices and one of the court’s four liberals.

The court’s 5-4 conservative majority was restored last month when the US Senate confirmed President Donald Trump’s appointee Brett Kavanaugh after a contentious nomination process in which Kavanaugh denied a sexual assault allegation dating to the 1980s.

If Ginsburg were unable to continue serving on the court, Trump would likely move swiftly to replace her with a conservative, further shifting the court to the right.

The Republican president was expected to go to the court on Thursday for a formal ceremony seating Kavanaugh.

Post