U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist says he will continue to perform his duties on the nation's highest court as long as his health permits.
In a statement issued to the media Thursday, Chief Justice Rehnquist said he is not about to announce his retirement -- and that he wants to put to rest what he called "speculation and unfounded rumors" of his imminent retirement.
The chief justice released his statement hours after he was discharged from a hospital outside Washington. Mr. Rehnquist was admitted Tuesday for a fever.
The 80-year-old chief justice has thyroid cancer, and his health has raised questions about how much longer he will be able to serve on the nine-member high court.
President Bush is currently considering choices to replace another judge on the court, retiring justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
Some information for this report provided by AP and AFP.
