Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has cancerous growths removed from lung

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Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has cancerous growths removed from lung

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg underwent lung surgery in New York City on Friday to remove cancerous growths, the court said in a news release.

The release said Ginsburg underwent a pulmonary lobectomy at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center after two nodules in the lower lobe of her left lung were discovered. The discovery came incidentally during tests after she fractured several ribs during a fall in November.

The news release said both nodules removed during surgery were found to be malignant, but scans performed before surgery indicated no evidence of disease elsewhere in the body. No further treatment is planned.

“Justice Ginsburg is resting comfortably and is expected to remain in the hospital for a few days,” the court said.

Ginsburg, 85, has survived a series of health scares. She also broke two ribs in a fall in 2012, has had two prior bouts with cancer and had a stent implanted to open a blocked artery in 2014. Despite the issues, Ginsburg has yet to miss a single day of oral arguments during her tenure, The Washington Post reported.

The liberal justice, who studied at Harvard Law School, was nominated to the highest court in the land by former President Bill Clinton in 1993 to replace retiring Justice Byron R. White. Ginsburg was Clinton's first Supreme Court pick. Prior to ascending to the Supreme Court, Ginsburg became the first woman to receive tenure at Columbia University Law School. She is also notably the co-founder of the American Civil Liberties Union's Women's Rights Project.

Ginsburg is the court's oldest member and there's been a great deal of speculation on when she may retire. However, she reportedly hired clerks for the term that extends into 2020, indicating she has no plans to leave soon.

Fox News' Bill Mears and The Associated Press contributed to this report.