US Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 87, hospitalised

One of four liberal justices, Ginsburg’s health is closely watched as the Trump administration seeks to tilt the court in a conservative direction

Supreme Court justices serve until they die or retire, and Ginsburg has stayed on, aware that if she leaves it could change the landscape of US justice

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United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, seen here in 2018, has been admitted to a Baltimore hospital for a suspected infection and is receiving treatment. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 1:46pm, 15 Jul 2020Updated: 1:46pm, 15 Jul 2020

US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the 87-year-old anchor of its liberal faction, has been hospitalised for a suspected infection, the court said.

Ginsburg was admitted to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore on Tuesday after first going to her regular Washington hospital with fever and chills.

She underwent an endoscopic procedure “to clean out a bile duct stent that was placed last August”, the court said in a statement.

Ginsburg “is resting comfortably and will stay in the hospital for a few days to receive intravenous antibiotic treatment”, it added.

The United States Supreme Court in Washington. Photo: Reuters

One of four liberals among the nine justices, Ginsburg’s health is closely watched as Donald Trump’s administration seeks an opportunity to appoint a new justice who would tilt the court solidly in a conservative direction, potentially shifting US law and social policy for decades.