The typically genial Supreme Court got a dose of controversy this week when NPR reported that Justice Sonia Sotomayor was forced to participate in hearings via teleconference because Justice Neil Gorsuch — who sits next to her on the bench — refused to wear a mask.
The court had been holding in-person hearings for months, with Sotomayor during that time remaining the only justice who chose to wear a mask. She has diabetes, a risk factor that puts her at greater risk for serious illness or death should she contract COVID-19.
