Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has announced that she is being treated for liver cancer, but she continues to work.
According to CNBC:
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said in a statement on Friday that she is being treated for liver cancer but that she remains able to work “full steam.”
The 87-year-old said that 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 the statement.
Ginsburg, a liberal, is the court’s eldest justice. Her health has become the subject of public concern because a vacancy on the nine-judge panel could allow President Donald Trump to nominate a conservative replacement. The court currently has a 5-4 majority of Republican-appointed justices.
Ginsburg’s full statement:
“On May 19, I began a course of chemotherapy (gemcitabine) to treat a recurrence of cancer. A periodic scan in February followed by a biopsy revealed lesions on my liver. My recent hospitalizations to remove gall stones and treat an infection were unrelated to this recurrence.
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.
I have often said I would remain a member of the Court as long as I can do the job full steam. I remain fully able to do that.”
It was recently reported that Ginsburg was hospitalized for an infection. She was released shortly after being admitted.