Supreme Court launches online lottery for public seating at oral arguments

The Supreme Court has introduced an online lottery system for people wanting to attend oral arguments. This new system will start with cases in late February, allowing some to skip the line for seats. The court did not specify how many seats will be available through the lottery. The courtroom has about 400 seats, but only a limited number are usually open to the public. Some seating will still be reserved for those who wait in line. For those unable to attend in person, the court continues to provide live audio of its arguments. This practice began during the pandemic and has continued even after the court returned to in-person sessions.