President Trump offered wished Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg a “fully and speedy recovery” on Friday, hours after she underwent a procedure to remove two cancerous nodules from her lung.
“Wishing Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg a full and speedy recovery!” he tweeted Friday night.
Ginsburg, earlier Friday, underwent a procedure in New York City to remove the nodules, which were determined to be malignant. They were discovered during tests in November to diagnose and treat rib fractures Ginsburg sustained from a fall.
There was no evidence of any remaining nodules after the operation was performed and pre-operation scans did not detect disease anywhere else in her body, according to a statement. She is resting comfortably and no further treatment is planned.
{mosads}The court’s oldest justice, Ginsburg, 85, has faced two previous battles with cancer, most recently in 2009.
The justices are not due back to the bench until January. They are scheduled to meet for their first conference of the new year on Jan. 4.
Ginsburg’s supporters have expressed concerns that the court’s leading liberal could step down during Trump’s administration. Another vacancy on the high court would likely lead to another explosive fight with liberals trying to prevent Trump from turning the court into a conservative stronghold with a third nominee.
Trump’s comments on Friday evening came as senators made last-ditch efforts to prevent a partial government shutdown. Trump is demanding $5 billion in border wall funding.
The Senate on Wednesday passed a stopgap funding bill that would avert a shutdown, but Trump said Thursday he would not sign that measure into law, since it did not include his demanded border wall funding. Democrats have stated that border wall funding is a nonstarter.