Mar 16, 2020 - Health

Supreme Court postpones oral arguments due to coronavirus concerns

Photo: Ting Shen/Xinhua via Getty

The Supreme Court announced Monday that it would postpone oral arguments for its March session because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Why it matters: It's a critical arm of the U.S. government shutting down as a response to the crisis.

  • Two of the nine justices, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer, are in their 80s.
  • The session was due to take place March 23–25 and March 30–April 1.
  • The Court stated in its press release it "will examine the options for rescheduling those cases in due course in light of the developing circumstances."

The big picture: It noted that postponing arguments "in light of public health concerns is not unprecedented," though it does mark the court's first postponement since the Spanish flu epidemic in 1918.

  • Among the delayed cases is President Trump’s lawsuit to prevent congressional committees and New York prosecutors to subpoena his financial records.
  • The development will also affect the $8 billion copyright feud between Google and Oracle.

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