Supreme Court says Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg hospitalized after minimally invasive non-surgical procedure

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg had been hospitalized after a minimally invasive non-surgical procedure. 

“Justice Ginsburg underwent a minimally invasive non-surgical procedure today at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City to revise a bile duct stent that was originally placed at Sloan Kettering in August 2019,’ the statement from the Supreme Court said. “According to her doctors, stent revisions are common occurrences and the procedure, performed using endoscopy and medical imaging guidance, was done to minimize the risk of future infection. The Justice is resting comfortably and expects to be released from the hospital by the end of the week.”

Ginsburg said on July 17 that she was being treated for liver cancer but remains able to work “full steam.”

The 87-year-old justice said she began a course of chemotherapy in May to treat a recurrence of cancer after a February scan revealed lesions on her liver. 

“Immunotherapy first essayed proved unsuccessful. The chemotherapy course, however, is yielding positive results. Satisfied that my treatment course is now clear, I am providing this information,” Ginsburg said in a statement. 

Ginsburg has wrestled with a slew of health problems, including multiple cancer scares in recent years.

A liberal, Ginsburg is the court’s eldest justice. The court has a 5-4 majority of Republican-appointed justices, and a vacancy could allow President Donald Trump to nominate a conservative replacement.

—Tucker Higgins contributed to this report.