Called to order: Supreme Court holds 1st arguments by phone
Legal Marketing
They politely took turns speaking. Not a child, spouse or dog could be heard in the background. The conference call went long, but not by that much.
And with that, the Supreme Court made history Monday, hearing arguments by telephone and allowing the world to listen in live, both for the first time.
The arguments were essentially a high-profile phone discussion with the nine justices and two arguing lawyers. The session went remarkably smoothly, notable for a high court that prizes tradition and only reluctantly changes the way it operates.
The high court had initially postponed arguments in 20 cases scheduled for March and April because of the coronavirus pandemic. Courtroom sessions were seen as unsafe, especially with six justices aged 65 or older and at risk of getting seriously sick from the virus. But the justices ultimately decided to hear 10 cases by phone over six days this month.
The court chose a somewhat obscure case about whether the travel website Booking.com can trademark its name for its first foray into remote arguments. The more high-profile arguments come next week.
Monday’s groundbreaking session began at the usual time of 10 a.m. EDT, when Marshal Pamela Talkin called the court to order and Chief Justice John Roberts announced the case.
Related listings
-
SUPREME COURT NOTEBOOK: Gender pronouns part of LGBT fight
Legal Marketing 08/21/2019Dozens of legal briefs supporting fired funeral director Aimee Stephens at the Supreme Court use “she” and “her” to refer to the transgender woman.So does the appeals court ruling in favor of Stephens that held that workplace ...
-
Challenge to Georgia election system faces first court test
Legal Marketing 04/27/2019A sweeping lawsuit challenging the way Georgia elections are run is being put to its initial test Monday as state election officials try to persuade a federal judge to toss it out.The lawsuit was filed weeks after Republican Brian Kemp narrowly beat ...
-
Porter County to start new court for mentally ill offenders
Legal Marketing 11/23/2018A northwestern Indiana county is preparing to become just the fourth in the state to operate a court specifically designed to treat the needs of nonviolent mentally ill offenders.Porter Superior Court Judge David Chidester says the county's Restorati...