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Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg falls, fractures ribs

Ginsburg fell in her office at the court Wednesday night and was admitted to the hospital Thursday morning.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, seen here in Jan. 2018, is recovering at the hospital after falling Wednesday night and breaking three of her ribs.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, seen here in Jan. 2018, is recovering at the hospital after falling Wednesday night and breaking three of her ribs.Read moreStephan Savoia / AP Photo

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was hospitalized Thursday after fracturing three ribs in a fall at the court.

According to a Supreme Courts spokeswoman, Ginsburg fell in her office at the court Wednesday night. After experiencing discomfort overnight, Ginsburg was admitted to George Washington University Hospital, where tests showed she fractured three ribs on her left side. She is currently being treated.

White House counselor Kellyanne Conway told reporters that she is praying for Ginsburg, who she called a "very tough woman."

"I've known her for many, many years – got to see her just a few weeks ago here at the swearing-in of Justice Kavanaugh," Conway said. "I hope she has a full and speedy recovery."

Ginsburg, 85, was appointed to the Supreme Court by former President Bill Clinton in 1993. She is considered one of the court's more liberal justices. She also is the court's oldest justice.

Ginsburg has had several health scares over the years. In November 2014, she underwent a heart procedure to have a stent placed in her right coronary artery. In 2009, she was treated for early stages of pancreatic cancer and in 1999, she underwent surgery to treat colon cancer.

However, the justice has not indicated she has any plans to retire.

"My senior colleague, Justice John Paul Stevens, he stepped down when he was 90, so think I have about at least five more years," Ginsburg said in July.