Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg underwent heart surgery Wednesday morning in Washington, the high court said.
The 81-year-old was admitted to the MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute at the MedStar Washington Hospital Center after she experienced discomfort during routine exercise on Tuesday night. She underwent a coronary catherization procedure and is now reportedly resting comfortably in the hospital. According to the Supreme Court, she is expected to be discharged within the next 48 hours.
For the past few years, Ginsburg has been working out with a personal trainer at the Supreme Court’s official gym, and a court official said that’s where she was last night when she experienced the discomfort.
Ginsburg, who is currently the oldest justice on the Supreme Court, has repeatedly resisted calls from progressives to consider stepping down so President Obama can nominate a like-minded judge to replace her. Ginsburg, who was nominated by President Bill Clinton and confirmed to the court nearly unanimously in 1993, has been the most stalwart representative of liberal positions on the hot-button issues the Supreme Court has faced.
