U.S. Supreme Court Postpones April Arguments

April 3, 2020

The U.S. Supreme Court has postponed its April oral argument session, scheduled to run from April 20 through April 29, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This follows the postponement of its March session, and creates some uncertainty as to whether the Court will complete its full docket before it recesses in late July.

According to the Court’s press release, it “will consider rescheduling some cases from the March and April sessions before the end of the Term, if circumstances permit in light of public health and safety guidance at that time.” It will also “consider a range of scheduling options and other alternatives if arguments cannot be held in the Courtroom before the end of the Term.”

Among the cases that would have been heard in the April session were a pair of consolidated cases involving religious and moral exemptions to the Affordable Care Act's requirement for employer health plans to cover birth control, and a pair of consolidated cases involving defect and negligence suits against Ford Motor Co.  

Meanwhile, the Court will continue to proceed with the resolution of all cases argued this term, will post opinions on its website, and will continue to hold its regularly scheduled conferences and issue order lists.

The last time the Supreme Court postponed oral arguments due to a public health crisis was during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic.