WASHINGTON -- William Rehnquist, the chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, suffering from cancer, will reportedly be absent when the court reconvenes Monday.
Rehnquist was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in October and the Washington Post reported Saturday his absence will continue for at least two more weeks.
The new session consists of six days -- Nov. 29 through Dec. 1, and Dec. 8 through Dec. 10 -- with two oral arguments scheduled each day. Rehnquist, 80, missed arguments during the first two weeks of November.
He is undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments as an outpatient. Meanwhile, Rehnquist and his staff are working at his northern Virginia home on his annual report on the federal judiciary, to be published Jan. 1.
