WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Supreme Court chief justice William Rehnquist has been admitted to a top US naval hospital to be treated for thyroid cancer, a navy official said.
Rehnquist, 80, was part of the court that ended counting in the 2000 presidential election leading to George W. Bush becoming president. He also presided over the impeachments hearings against them-president Bill Clinton.
"Justice Rehnquist was admitted on Friday" to Bethesda Naval hospital just outside Washington, the official said, confirming that Rehnquist was receiving treatment for thyroid cancer.
Rehnquist, 80, was appointed to the high court by President Richard Nixon in 1972 and elevated to chief justice in 1986 by President Ronald Reagan.
10/25/2004 - 16:40 GMT - AFP