US Supreme Court Justice Ginsburg dies at age 87 from pancreatic cancer

(FILES) In this file photo taken on November 30, 2018 Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg poses for the official photo at the Supreme Court in Washington, DC. Mandel Ngan/AFP

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a stalwart liberal on the US Supreme Court since 1993, died on Friday at age 87, the court said.

Ginsburg, a champion of women's rights who became an icon for American liberals, died of complications from metastatic pancreatic cancer, the court said in a statement.

Her departure could dramatically alter the ideological balance of the court, which currently has a 5-4 conservative majority, by moving it further to the right.

Political leaders across the country have paid tributes to Ginsburg on social media, including President Donald Trump and Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden.

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