Chief Justice Rehnquist hospitalized

WASHINGTON -- Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, ailing with cancer, is in the hospital with a fever, a spokeswoman said Wednesday.\nRehnquist was taken by ambulance to an Arlington, Va., hospital Tuesday night and was admitted for observation and tests, Supreme Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said.\nThere was no immediate word on his condition Wednesday afternoon.\nRehnquist, 80 and ill with thyroid cancer, has been the subject of intense speculation about whether he will retire. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, 75, announced earlier this month that she will be leaving the bench.\nThe chief justice had been coming to the court daily but did not show up as usual Wednesday morning. Court officials initially declined to say why he was absent or explain unusual happenings at Rehnquist's Arlington home.\nMembers of the media near the residence saw a court police officer make several trips to the house, leaving each time with various personal items. First the officer carried out Rehnquist's distinctive cane and a shirt. Later, he brought out other clothing.\nAt about 2:30 p.m., Arberg issued a two-sentence statement saying Rehnquist was hospitalized for a fever and undergoing tests.\nIt was the second time in less than four months that Rehnquist was taken by ambulance to the hospital. In March, he was brought in with breathing problems. He did not stay overnight then.\nRehnquist has a tracheotomy tube that helps him breathe. He has been treated since October for thyroid cancer, undergoing chemotherapy and radiation. The illness led to a five-month absence from the bench, although he continued working at home and at the court during his convalescence.\nThe chief justice has refused to say if he plans to retire after 33 years on the court, telling reporters camped outside his house last week: "That's for me to know and you to find out"