Chief Justice hospitalized
on Jul 13, 2005 at 3:00 pm
Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist is in the hospital in Arlington, Va., for observation and tests after developing a fever, the Supreme Court said on Wednesday.
Kathleen L. Arberg, the Court’s spokeswoman, made this statement in response to press inquiries: “Last night, the Chief Justice went to Arlington Hospital by ambulance because of a fever. He was admitted for observation and tests.”
Ms Arberg said she had no further details, including no estimate of how long he would remain. He was still at the hospital in mid-afternoon.
The Court’s statement came after news camera crews, staking out Rehnquist’s house as they have been doing for several days, saw aides to the Chief Justice enter and leave with personal items. The cameras have been recording Rehnquist’s daily departures and returns to his Arlington home.
The report of his hospitalization, had it come at another time, might have added to the speculation about whether the 80-year-old Chief, ill with thyroid cancer, will retire. But rumors and speculative suggestions have been floating at flood levels for the past few weeks. Those who have been predicting an imminent retirement perhaps will deem their predictions more reliable, but there was nothing in the new report that would suggest conclusively what Rehnquist will decide. The length of his stay at the hospital may be a stronger indicator of the state of his health.
