The Supreme Court has wrapped up its first week of arguments by telephone, with live audio available also for the first time.
The three days of hearings were remarkably smooth, even as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg participated from her hospital room and Justice Stephen Breyer was briefly kicked off the line on Wednesday. The 87-year-old Ginsburg is being treated at a Baltimore hospital for an infection caused by a gallstone.
Breyer’s brief absence from the arguments came in a case about robocalls. When Breyer rejoined the call, he said he was cut off when someone had tried calling him.
The court Wednesday also heard arguments over Trump administration rules that would make it easier for employers to cite moral or religious objections in refusing to provide cost-free contraceptives to women, as required by the Affordable Care Act.
The justices will return to the phones next week for six cases over three days. Those include President Donald Trump’s efforts to shield his tax and other financial records and whether presidential electors must cast their Electoral College votes for the candidate who wins the popular vote in their state.
Wednesday's session was scheduled for two hours but lasted nearly three hours. One-hour sessions Monday and Tuesday ran a few minutes over.
"Hundreds of thousands of Nevada families are depending on the Affordable Care Act for access to quality and affordable healthcare, especially during this pandemic," said Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford. “1,258,000 Nevadans have a pre-existing condition, including 163,100 Nevada children, 620,000 Nevada women, and 285,900 Nevadans. My office will continue defending Nevadans’ right to healthcare.”
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