Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was hospitalized early Thursday morning after falling in her office Wednesday evening and fracturing three ribs, according to a statement from the court.
“She went home, but after experiencing discomfort overnight, went to George Washington University Hospital early this morning,” the statement said. “Tests showed that she fractured three ribs on her left side and she was admitted for observation and treatment.”
Ginsburg, a lifelong champion of women’s rights, has become a cultural icon and is revered and beloved by feminists across America. The Notorious RBG, as she is often called, was the subject of a documentary earlier this year that covered her incredible career, marriage, and, yes, even her workout routine—which is incredibly impressive for an 85-year-old.
“These days we rarely go out without people—mostly women—asking to take a picture or telling her they admire her,” Ginsburg’s granddaughter Clara Spera wrote of her “Bubbie” for Glamour in May. “It’s equally strange and touching for me to see a young woman, probably my age, ask Bubbie if she can give her a hug.”
Spera further explained her grandmother’s significance to women of all ages. “As a young lawyer, Bubbie won several landmark gender equality cases before the Supreme Court in the 1970s. Most people who wear ‘You Can’t Spell Truth Without Ruth’ T-shirts or sport ‘I Dissent’ tote bags might not be able to name any of them or point to a specific opinion she’s written on the Court since. But they don’t need to,” she says. “They know that her search for justice and for legal and social equality has been relentless. She doesn’t have one case or moment that has defined her career. Instead, to many, she’s a feminist icon because of her tireless persistence at inching us all closer to equality.”
Given the current makeup of the Supreme Court, which shifted toward the conservative side with the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh in October, and the overwhelming affection for RBG, there were strong reactions to the news of her hospitalization on social media.
https://twitter.com/ValerieJarrett/status/1060543558258753537
https://twitter.com/andreanoricel/status/1060539719711449089
https://twitter.com/AynRandPaulRyan/status/1060536657747763200
https://twitter.com/mariskreizman/status/1060541218034274304
Best wishes for a speedy recovery, RBG.
This story is developing and we will update accordingly.
MORE: Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Granddaughter: ‘You Know Her as the Notorious RBG, but She’s Bubbie to Me’
