Chief Justice William Rehnquist has undergone throat surgery after a diagnosis of thyroid cancer, but is expected to be released from the hospital this week, according the Supreme Court. Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said the 80-year old chief justice was admitted to the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, Maryland, on Friday, and underwent a tracheotomy Saturday. Arberg said he is expected to be released from the hospital this week, and to be back on the bench when court arguments resume next week. | Half the news media had him dead and buried, worried about Bush picking another judge. |
Rehnquist has served as chief justice since 1986 after he was nominated by President Ronald Reagan. He joined the high court in 1972 when he was nominated by President Richard Nixon. His previous health problems have included back and knee problems, according to The Associated Press.
The news is likely to shake up the campaign trail because the next president could help tip the balance on the nation's highest court, which now stands in a loose 5-4 conservative majority. All but one of the nine U.S. Supreme Court justices is over 65, and many court watchers expect at least one, perhaps as many as four, retirements in the next four years. | Another reason to vote for Bush, this news will help energise his conservative base who stayed home last time. |
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, 74, and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 71, have both undergone surgery for cancer. The nine current members of the court have been together a decade, the longest uninterrupted span in nearly two centuries. |