Bethesda, Md.
Chief Justice William Rehnquist was diagnosed with thyroid cancer this week. Doctors at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland inserted a tube into his throat to make it easier for him to breathe, but officials declined to say whether he was being treated with surgery or radiation. Thyroid cancer has a 90 percent cure rate, and a Supreme Court spokesman said Rehnquist, the court’s leading conservative for decades, would return to work Nov. 1. News of Rehnquist’s illness fueled speculation about how the court might change after the Nov. 2 presidential election. All the justices except Clarence Thomas are over 65, and the next president may get to appoint several members to the closely divided nine-member court.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
What should you be stockpiling for 'World War Three'?In the Spotlight Britons advised to prepare after the EU tells its citizens to have an emergency kit just in case
-
Carnivore diet: why people are eating only meatThe Explainer 'Meatfluencers' are taking social media by storm but experts warn meat-only diets have health consequences
-
Scientists want to fight malaria by poisoning mosquitoes with human bloodUnder the radar Drugging the bugs
