July 31, 2007

Chief Justice Roberts Released From Hospital

UPDATED.

Chief Justice John Roberts waved to reporters as he walked out of a Maine hospital shortly after 11 a.m. EDT. He had been kept overnight following a seizure yesterday that caused him to stumble on a dock.

Roberts received a full spectrum of neurological examinations at Penobscot Bay Medical Center in Rockport. Supreme Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said the tests "revealed no cause for concern."

The chief justice did not stop to make a statement upon his release. He smiled and walked briskly to an SUV, where a driver awaited.

Roberts, 52, will probably undergo further testing at a more renowned facility at some point. Doctors at the Maine hospital were unable to pinpoint a cause; the same was true when Roberts suffered a seizure while golfing in 1993. The chance of a repeat seizure increases substantially with each subsequent seizure.

Roberts is the youngest member of the Supreme Court and the third-youngest chief justice of the United States. Other than the seizures, he is not known to have any health problems.

President Bush called Roberts earlier today. White House press secretary Tony Snow said Roberts "sounded like he was in great spirits."

Medical experts queried by reporters seem to agree that Roberts probably has a mild form of epilepsy and may require medication. The Los Angeles Times, USA Today and Washington Post have more on Roberts' condition.

Posted at 11:24 AM
Posted to: Supreme Court
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