Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Ms Ginsburg will probably stay in hospital for the next few days to recover

US Supreme Court judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg has undergone surgery to remove two cancerous nodules from her lung, the court said.

The malignant nodules were initially discovered when Ms Ginsburg, 85, broke three ribs in November, a statement released by the court said.

Both were successfully removed and afterwards "there was no evidence of any remaining disease", it added.

Ms Ginsburg is resting comfortably and no further treatment is planned.

The most senior justice on the Supreme Court's liberal wing has previously had surgery to treat colon cancer and pancreatic cancer.

Justices on the highest court in the US serve for life or until they choose to retire, and supporters have expressed concern that if anything were to happen to Ms Ginsburg then a more conservative justice could replace her.

Ms Ginsburg is expected to rest for a few days at New York's Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where the surgery took place.

Ms Ginsburg was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1993 by President Bill Clinton. She had previously focused her work on women's rights and started the first law journal dedicated to the topic.

Some of her legal opinions, coupled with her refusal to step down during the Obama era, have seen her gain popularity in some quarters and earned her the nickname Notorious RBG.

Social media users quickly responded to the news with offers of support.