Hello, Justice, Do You Hear Me? Supreme Court Meets by Phone

It’s a morning of firsts for the Supreme Court, the first time audio of the court’s arguments will be heard live by the world and the first arguments by telephone.

The changes are a result of the coronavirus pandemic, which has made holding courtroom sessions unsafe, especially with six justices aged 65 or older and at risk of getting seriously sick from the virus.

The experiment beginning Monday could propel the court to routinely livestream its arguments. Or the 10 cases over six days could just be extraordinary exceptions to the court’s sustained opposition to broadening the audience that can hear, if not see, its work live.

Cases that will be heard over the next two weeks include President Donald Trump’s effort to shield tax and other financial records and whether presidential electors have to cast their Electoral College ballots for the candidate who wins the popular vote in their state.

The session is set to begin Monday at the usual time of 10 a.m. EDT, when Marshal Pamela Talkin will call the court to order and Chief Justice John Roberts will announce the day’s case. Arguments are scheduled to last an hour as they would generally in the courtroom.

Justice Department lawyer Erica Ross, who once served as a law clerk to Justice Elena Kagan, will be first up. She last argued at the court in late February. She’s planning to deliver this Supreme Court argument, her sixth, from a Justice Department conference room.

She will be followed by Lisa Blatt, a onetime government lawyer who will be arguing her 40th Supreme Court case. Blatt will be at her Washington-area home, she told The Washington Post.

She is known for her colorful writing and speaking style and for her ability to engage in a healthy give and take with the justices. She was also a prominent liberal supporter of Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his contentious Senate confirmation hearings for the Supreme Court.

Each lawyer will get two uninterrupted minutes to make an opening statement, after which Roberts will kick off the questioning. After that, the justices will ask questions in order of seniority, although the longest-serving justice, Clarence Thomas, almost never questions lawyers. Kavanaugh, who joined the court in 2018, will go last.

The court sometimes issues opinions at the start of argument sessions, with the justice who wrote for the majority reading a summary of the opinion and, more rarely, a second justice summarizing a dissent. But in another change wrought by the virus outbreak, opinions are being posted online without any statements from justices. The court will next issue opinions on Thursday.

‹

Blind Justice: No Visual Cues in High Court Phone Cases

On the evening before he was to argue a case before the Supreme Court years ago, Jeffrey Fisher broke his glasses. That left the very nearsighted lawyer with an unappealing choice. He could wear contacts and clearly see the justices but not his notes, or skip the contacts and see only his notes. It wasn’t […]

5 Things We Know and Still Don’t Know About COVID, 5 Years After It Appeared

COVID-19 is less deadly than it was in the pandemic’s early days. But the virus is evolving, meaning scientists must track it closely.

Tracking the Number of Coronavirus Cases in North Carolina

COVID-19 Cluster Reported at UNC's Avery Residence Hall

UNC has identified a cluster of COVID-19 cases at Avery Residence Hall on campus. This is the second COVID-19 cluster identified at UNC in 2021 and the first since the spring semester began on January 19. Earlier this month, a cluster was identified at Carmichael Residence Hall between students who lived on campus during winter […]

Mack Brown, Roy Williams Receive First Doses of the COVID-19 Vaccine

UNC coaches Mack Brown and Roy Williams have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, the university confirmed on Friday. “I think that everyone who has the opportunity to take the vaccination should,” Williams said in a Zoom call with reporters. Brown, 69, and Williams, 70, are eligible to receive the vaccine thanks to […]

North Carolina Shatters Single-Day Record With 10,000 New COVID-19 Cases

North Carolina reported 10,398 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, shattering the single-day record for new cases as the state continues to see a significant spread of the virus. North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services reports a total of 592,746 coronavirus cases since the beginning of the pandemic. In addition, the state reported 137 […]

NC Introduces COVID-19 County Alert System Amid Record Hospitalizations

Governor Cooper announced that North Carolina is introducing a county alert system to identify counties with the highest levels of COVID-19 community spread.

New Weekday COVID-19 Testing Available in Chapel Hill

A new no-cost COVID-19 testing option will now be available for Chapel Hill and Orange County residents. The Orange County Health Department announced that a new testing site will be available through OptumServe and will operate on Monday through Fridays in Chapel Hill. The testing site will be located at the R7 Parking Lot (725 Martin […]

Orange County Not Hosting COVID-19 Testing on Election Day

The Orange County Health Department will not host its daily COVID-19 testing event on Election Day. The county has begun its free daily testing event — held Monday through Friday at the Whitted Building in Hillsborough from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. However, no testing will be available on Tuesday during Election Day. WEEKDAY TESTING […]

Orange County Health Department to Offer Free Daily COVID-19 Tests

Beginning next week, the Orange County Health Department will offer free COVID-19 tests to all residents who need one. Tests will be available at the Whitted Human Services Building (300 West Tryon Street, Hillsborough) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day beginning on Monday, October 26. The only day when tests will not be […]

›