INEPTOCRACY CHRONICLES – Supreme Court convenes in person for first time in 18 months
Back to the seventies . . . guns and abortion . . . good grief . . .
The Supreme Court is seen on the first day of the new term, in Washington, Monday, Oct. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) more >
By Alex Swoyer - The Washington Times - Monday, October 4, 2021
The Supreme Court returned Monday to its marble courtroom in person for the first time in 18 months as they begin a session that promises to be highly charged, with the justices hearing disputes about abortion and gun rights.
The justices had worked remotely because of the COVID-19 pandemic, hearing oral arguments on the telephone.
Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh continued to work remotely Monday morning after he tested positive for the coronavirus last week, participating in the court‘s two oral arguments via phone.
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The audio feed of the arguments was livestreamed for the public, but only a limited number of reporters were allowed inside the courtroom with the justices and attorneys — a sign that the high court is slowly returning to its standard process.
“I have the honor to announce on behalf of the court that the October 2020 term of the Supreme Court of the United States is now closed and the October 2021 term is now convened. I’d like to begin by noting that Justice Kavanaugh will be participating in the argument today remotely,” Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said after gaveling the court into session.
Before the pandemic, the justices, attorneys and reporters were accompanied by a limited number of people from the public for oral arguments. Audio of the hearings was not livestreamed but was released at the end of the week.
The Supreme Court closed to the public in March 2020, and the justices began working remotely like much of the rest of the country. During that time, the court heard 68 cases via teleconference, according to The Associated Press.
Closing the high court was unprecedented. The court postponed arguments in 1918 during the Spanish flu epidemic. A court spokesperson noted that court calendars were changed in August 1793 and in 1798 because of yellow fever.
The court‘s makeup changed with the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in September 2020. Justice Amy Coney Barrett filled her seat in November.
Monday marked the first time Justice Barrett was seated on the bench, after hearing cases only by telephone.
During the telephonic hearings, each justice had a certain amount of time to question attorneys about their arguments. When the justices are in the courtroom, they often interrupt one another, fighting for time to quiz attorneys.
On Monday, the justices tended to play off one another’s lines of questioning and even laughed at times.
Ineptocracy
A system of government where the least capable to lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a diminishing number of producers.