Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospitalized for Fever, Expected to Recover
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was admitted to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore on Saturday night after experiencing chills and fever, marking another health challenge for the 86-year-old judicial icon who has become a liberal standard-bearer on the nation’s highest court.
Ginsburg was initially taken to Sibley Memorial Hospital before being transferred to Johns Hopkins for “further evaluation and treatment of any possible infection,” according to a statement from the Supreme Court. Doctors administered intravenous antibiotics and fluids, after which her symptoms reportedly abated. She’s expected to be released as early as Sunday morning.
This isn’t the first health scare for the justice affectionately known as “RBG” by her admirers. Yet through multiple cancer diagnoses and other medical challenges, Ginsburg has maintained both her seat on the court and her characteristic resilience.
Work as Medicine
What keeps her going? Ginsburg herself has suggested that her demanding role on the Supreme Court provides its own kind of therapy. “I think my work is what saved me because instead of dwelling on my physical discomforts, if I have an opinion to write or I have a brief to read, I know I’ve just got to get it done and so I have to get over it.”
She’s recounted how fellow Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who had experienced her own cancer battle, advised her to schedule chemotherapy treatments on Fridays so she could be back on the bench by Monday morning. That practical wisdom seems to have stuck.
Her approach to health challenges mirrors her pragmatic philosophy on marriage. “In every good marriage, it pays sometimes to be a little deaf,” she once remarked, sometimes adding with characteristic dry humor: “It works on the Supreme Court, too.”
Legacy in Progress
How does someone of Ginsburg’s stature envision her own legacy? Despite her pop culture status as the “Notorious RBG,” complete with merchandise and memes, her personal vision is characteristically understated.
When asked how she wished to be remembered, Ginsburg responded: “[I want to be remembered as] someone who used whatever talent she had to do her work to the very best of her ability. And to help repair tears in her society, to make things a little better through the use of whatever ability she has…”
That repair work has often centered on gender equality. One of her most frequently cited observations captures this mission: “Women belong in all places where decisions are being made. It shouldn’t be that women are the exception,” she once stated, encapsulating a judicial philosophy that has guided much of her career.
Appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1993, Ginsburg became the second woman to serve on the Supreme Court. Her tenure has been marked by forceful dissents that have sometimes found their way into the mainstream consciousness — particularly as the court has shifted rightward in recent years.
As she recovers in Baltimore, many court watchers are holding their breath. With the Supreme Court currently holding a 5-4 conservative majority, Ginsburg’s health has become a matter of intense political interest, though she has repeatedly expressed her intention to remain on the bench as long as her health permits.
For now, the justice’s doctors appear confident in her recovery. And if her past resilience is any indication, she’ll likely be back at work before long — using whatever talent she has to do her work to the very best of her ability.
