Washington ? Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist was hospitalized briefly with a fever on Thursday, the second emergency treatment for the 80-year-old ailing justice in two months.

Rehnquist was treated and released from Virginia Hospital Center in Arlington, Va., the same hospital where he spent two nights for observation and tests in July, also after running a fever.

The chief justice has thyroid cancer, and his latest health problems will almost certainly renew questions about whether he is well enough to remain on the court.

Rehnquist, who has been on the Supreme Court 33 years, has refused to disclose specific details about his illness but in July issued a statement pledging to remain on the job.