Supreme Court: Justices healthy and trying to stay that way

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court reported Friday that the nine justices are healthy and trying to stay that way.

To that end, when the court held its regularly scheduled private conference Friday morning, some of the justices participated remotely, and those who were in the building did not engage in the tradition of shaking hands, court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg said.

The court plans to issue opinions Monday in cases argued during the fall and winter without taking the bench, Arberg said. The last time that happened was when the court decided Bush v. Gore late in the evening of Dec. 12, 2000, essentially settling the disputed 2000 presidential election in favour of Republican George W. Bush.

Arberg wouldn’t say who showed up in person Friday to the justices’ conference room, adjacent to Chief Justice John Roberts’ office.

Six of the nine justices are 65 and older, at higher risk of getting very sick from the illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who turned 87 on Sunday, and Stephen Breyer, 81, are the oldest members of the court.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh, 54, flew on a commercial flight last week between Washington, D.C., and Louisville, Kentucky, for a ceremony in honour of U.S. District Judge Justin Walker, a former law clerk whom President Donald Trump named to the federal bench last year.

The court had previously postponed arguments that had been scheduled for the next two weeks, including a big fight over subpoenas for Trump’s financial records, and closed the Supreme Court to the public. The building remains open for official business, and the court has not announced any additional postponements.