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US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has fractured three ribs on her left side in a fall in her office, the US top court said on Thursday.
Ms Ginsburg returned home after the incident on Wednesday evening George Washington University Hospital the next morning after experiencing discomfort overnight, the court said. Tests revealed the fractures, and Ms Ginsburg was admitted for observation and treatment.
Ms Ginsburg, 85, is the oldest member of America's highest court and the most prominent member of its liberal faction.
President Donald Trump has nominated two new justices to the Supreme Court since the White House, including Brett Kavanaugh, who was confirmed last month.
The confirmation of Mr Kavanaugh, which was pbaded by the narrowest Senate on the 19th century, secured a majority on the high court.
The appointment of Mr Kavanaugh to fill the crown of the US Supreme Court with five lawmakers, shifting the court rightward.
Last year, Mr Trump nominated Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court after Republicans blocked consideration of Barack Obama's nominee, Merrick Garland, to fill the vacancy by the death of Antonin Scalia. The appointment was considered the first big political victory for the president, with the Senate confirming his nomination by 54-45.
A vacancy on the Supreme Court would present Mr Trump with an opportunity to nominate another conservative justice – and if that judge were to replace Ms Ginsburg, it would further expand the court's right-leaning block.
The likelihood of the president being elected by the Senate has also risen following the recent midterm elections, in which the GOP expanded its majority.
Following a rule change, a judge votes to the Supreme Court with only 51 Senate votes. Before the change, 60 votes were required.
Ms Ginsberg is best known for her work. Earlier this year, she was known to be a member of the Notorious RBG, a play on late Brooklyn rapper BI G – and featured the judge doing push-ups and planks in a sweatshirt emblazoned "Super Diva!"
During her 1993 confirmation hearing, Ms Ginsburg was approved in the US by a vote of 96 to 3, a result that would be highly unusual today.
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