WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court reopened to the public for oral arguments Monday for the first time in almost two years because of the coronavirus pandemic, as the justices started a new term that appears poised to build on the conservative turn last term.
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said nothing at the start to mark the return of a full courtroom. He noted the retirement of prior in-house counsel at the Supreme Court, admitted nearly two dozen attorneys to the court’s bar and then called the first case.
Dozens of attorneys and members of the public sat shoulder to shoulder as the court debated the scope of the federal government’s ability to regulate wetlands throughout the country. Only a few members of the crowd, along with Justices Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor, wore masks during the arguments.
