Supreme Court justices serve for life or until they choose to retire, and supporters have expressed concern that if anything were to happen to Ms Ginsburg then a more conservative judge might replace her.<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump has appointed two judges since taking office, and the current court is seen to have a 5-4 conservative majority in most cases.<\/p>\n
Ms Ginsburg was treated for an inflammatory condition of the gallbladder known as acute cholecystitis on Tuesday afternoon, Ms Arberg said in an earlier statement.<\/p>\n
The court’s justices heard oral arguments by telephone on Wednesday due to the coronavirus outbreak. They considered a case relating to the Affordable Care Act and another relating to federal law on automated calls.<\/p>\n
Ms Ginsburg’s voice was reported to be weaker than normal, but picked up as the proceedings went on.<\/p>\n
She posed lengthy questions during the first case, which concerned a requirement that employers cover birth control in their health insurance plans.<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump’s administration changed this law in 2017 and allowed employers to obtain a religious exemption, but this has been challenged in the courts.<\/p>\n
“You have just tossed entirely to the wind what Congress thought was essential, that women be provided these services with no hassle [at] no cost to them,” Ms Ginsburg told the Trump administration’s lawyer on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Social media users pointed out that at one point in the call the sound of a flushing toilet could be heard, suggesting the dangers of teleconferencing can also affect America’s highest court.<\/p>\n
![\"Presentational](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/624\/cpsprodpb\/94C2\/production\/_109028083_1px_white_line-nc.png\")
<\/span><\/figure>\nMs Ginsburg is the oldest sitting justice on the Supreme Court, and has suffered a number of recent health scares.<\/p>\n
Last November,\u00a0she was taken to hospital after suffering chills and a fever<\/a>.<\/p>\n In August, she was treated for a cancerous tumour on her pancreas. She received treatment for colon cancer in 1999, and pancreatic cancer in 2009.<\/p>\n And in December 2018, she had surgery to remove two cancerous nodules from her lung. She has also suffered fractured ribs from falls.<\/p>\n Ms Ginsburg was nominated by President Bill Clinton in 1993 – becoming the second woman ever to join the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n In recent years, she has been the subject of a biopic, On the Basis of Sex, a documentary, and a bestselling book called Notorious RBG.<\/p>\n She has refused to retire from her role, once saying in an interview: “As long as I can do the job full steam, I will be here.”<\/p>\n Source: bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"