Supreme Court Oral Arguments

For the first time in history, the United States Supreme Court is holding arguments over the phone and broadcast on C-SPAN!  Audio recordings of arguments have been available online for the last ten years, posted at the end of the week, but this is the first time the public can hear an argument while it’s happening unless you’re there in person.  The Supreme Court has resisted broadcasting live since the popularization of radio, so it’s a true advancement that it’s happening now.

Two women are arguing the case: Lisa Blatt for booking.com and Erica Ross for the Solicitor General.  After the first two minutes, justices asked questions in descending seniority order- including usually silent Clarence Thomas.  I guess he’s just as starved for human interaction as the rest of us during this pandemic.

I am very much enjoying that the first ever broadcast of Supreme Court arguments have just as many women speaking as men- a historically significant mark that makes it seem worth waiting for.