WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Oral arguments prior to the U.S. Supreme Court are normally an official affair, determined by adherence to tradition by an organization traditionally resistant to altering its methods. Come Monday, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, all that modifications.
The building of the U.S. Supreme Court is pictured in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 19,2020 REUTERS/Will Dunham
In an initially, the 9 justices are set to participate in arguments in 10 cases – each set up for an hour – today and next week performed remotely by teleconference rather than in-person to fight the spread of the pathogen. In another break with tradition, the court will offer a live audio feed of the arguments to the news media.
The changes show the brand-new truth of working from home during the pandemic. The brand-new format means than many rules will be reserved. Some of the lawyers who will argue the cases have stated they intend on using comfortable clothing – jeans and T-shirts – and will resolve the justices from kitchen areas and spare bed rooms, not from behind a lectern in the courtroom.
The cases consist of one of the greatest disputes of the court’s current term – whether President Donald Trump, arguing for expansive presidential powers, can keep his monetary records including income tax return secret. 3 cases will be argued on the subject on May 12, 2 including congressional subpoenas to 3rd parties for