The Supreme Court will allow members of the public to hear arguments in person for the first time in more than two years after closures due to the coronavirus pandemic, Chief Justice John Roberts announced at a conference over the weekend.
Justices on the nine-member high court are slated to meet back for the Supreme Court’s opening conference on Sept. 28 before oral arguments over cases begin on Oct. 3. The building has been closed to members of the public since March 2020 despite locations such as the U.S. Capitol and White House relaxing certain pandemic restrictions.
During an interview at the 10th Circuit Bench & Bar Conference at the Broadmoor resort in Colorado, the chief justice announced the reopening plans while also defending the institution against criticism in the fallout from the June 24 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, which saw the high court’s conservative majority overturn 49 years of abortion access precedent established under Roe v. Wade.
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Prior to the Dobbs decision, a leaked draft version of the opinion published by Politico on May 2 predated the high court’s downturn in public approval and forced the already shuttered court into further duress, prompting security officials to erect an unscalable fence around the building on May 4 in response to weeks of protests and demonstrations. The fence has since been removed.
“If the court doesn’t retain its legitimate function of interpreting the Constitution, I’m not sure who would take up that mantle. You don’t want the political branches telling you what the law is, and you don’t want public opinion to be the guide about what the appropriate decision is,” Roberts said without providing further comment about the leak.
Last month, the Pew Research Center reported that just 48% of the public sees the Supreme Court as favorable, which aligns most closely to the perception of the high court in the 2015 ruling over Obergefell v. Hodges that legalized same-sex marriage.
Justice Neil Gorsuch was also at the 10th Circuit conference on Thursday and briefly spoke about an update regarding an investigation into the origin of the Dobbs leak, saying he hoped a report into the incident was forthcoming.
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“The chief justice appointed an internal committee to oversee the investigation,” Gorsuch said. “That committee has been busy, and we’re looking forward to their report, I hope, soon.”
The Washington Examiner contacted the high court’s public information office for a response.
