The US Supreme Court held its first-ever proceeding by teleconference on Monday as the justices broke with tradition amid the coronavirus pandemic — and were also more polite than usual.
Several justices offered pleasantries during the oral arguments that are often absent when the high court convenes in Washington, DC, the Associated Press reported.
Justice Stephen Breyer interrupted his questioning to say, “Good morning, anyway,” to government lawyer Erica Ross.
Justice Elena Kagan and Justice Brett Kavanaugh also wished Ross a “good morning.”
The session lasted about an hour and 15 minutes, slightly longer than the scheduled 60 minutes.
There were no major technical difficulties, although Breyer was briefly hard to hear, AP said.
The questioning was conducted in order of seniority, with Chief Justice John Roberts first.
Roberts then passed the questioning to Justice Clarence Thomas, who hadn’t asked a question during arguments in more than a year.
Monday’s case involved whether Booking.com can trademark its name, and Thomas wanted to know if the company could “acquire an 800 number that’s a vanity number 1-800-Booking, for example, that is similar to 1-800-Plumbing, which is a registered mark?” AP said.
Roberts also kept the session moving by telling the lawyers on the case, “Thank you, counsel” or “Briefly,” when he wanted another justice to take over the questioning.
In addition to the remote nature of the session, Monday’s arguments were the first during which the high court allowed audio to be broadcast live.
The Supreme Court does not permit camera coverage of its proceedings.
The justices are scheduled to hear a total of 10 cases over six days.