WASHINGTON — Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been released from the hospital after receiving treatment for three fractured ribs, the court said Friday.
Ginsburg, 85, fell in her office Wednesday night and went home but continued to experience "discomfort overnight" and went to George Washington Hospital early Thursday.
Tests revealed she fractured three ribs and she "was admitted for observation and treatment," according to the statement.
A court spokeswoman provided an update Friday morning saying Ginsburg had been released from the hospital and was "doing well and plans to work from home today."
The fall kept Ginsburg from attending Thursday's formal investiture ceremony for new Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh. The event attracted President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, all other Supreme Court justices and leaders of Washington's legal community.
Ginsburg, the court's eldest justice, has served for 25 years after being appointed by former President Bill Clinton in 1993. She is the leader of the court's liberal wing.
She wrote the first opinion of the Supreme Court’s term this year on age discrimination. The action marked the third consecutive year in which Ginsburg has authored the first opinion of the term. Chief Justice John Roberts has remarked in the past about Ginsburg’s speedy delivery of opinions.
Earlier this year, Ginsburg said she intended to stay on the bench for at least five more years.
"I'm now 85," Ginsburg said in July, according to CNN. "My senior colleague, Justice John Paul Stevens, he stepped down when he was 90, so I think I have about at least five more years."
Ginsburg broke two ribs in a fall in 2012. She has had two prior bouts with cancer and had a stent implanted to open a blocked artery in 2014.
Given her age, some Democrats have expressed concerns about Ginsburg's health. President Donald Trump has appointed two Supreme Court justices since taking office, and another opening on the bench could ensure conservative control of the court for decades. The Senate, which confirms justices, remains in Republican control after Tuesday's election.
"I pray for Ruth Bader Ginsberg every day," Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., said Sunday. "We cannot allow one more Supreme Court justice to be nominated and get through the Senate by this president, or we’ll lose that court for over a generation."
The second woman appointed to the court – Justice Sandra Day O'Connor became the first in 1981 – Ginsburg is a legend among women's right advocates. She has expressed support for the #MeToo movement.
In recent years, she has gained celebrity status among progressives – who lovingly refer to her as the "Notorious RBG" – and was the subject a recent documentary, "RBG." Her biography is the subject of an upcoming feature film, "On the Basis of Sex," in which she is played by actress Felicity Jones.
Contributing: Richard Wolf, USA TODAY and Associated Press