WASHINGTON — People who want to see it Supreme Court in action can skip the line and enter a new one online lottery system the court announced on Thursday.
Beginning with cases scheduled to be argued in late February, seats will be distributed through oral argument lottery, as well as sessions in which the justices do not hear new cases but can announce decisions in previously argued cases.
The court did not say how many seats would be available through the lottery. The courtroom seats about 400 people, but sometimes only a few dozen seats are reserved for the public.
For high-profile cases, the rule may begin days before arguments. The court said seats will remain for people waiting in line.
The public can apply for a maximum of four seats and will be notified by email approximately three weeks before the hearing. Applications for future sessions will open shortly after the next monthly arguments calendar is released.
Can’t get to the country’s capital? The court makes live audio of all its arguments available.
The justices had never agreed to have their arguments streamed live until the coronavirus pandemic closed the courthouse in March 2020 and forced the justices to participate in arguments remotely by telephone.
The court kept the livestream even after the justices returned to in-person arguments the following year and welcomed the public in 2022.