By Mark Sherman
The Supreme Court announced Monday that it is postponing arguments for late March and early April because of the coronavirus, including fights over subpoenas for President Donald Trump’s financial records.
Other business will go on as planned, including the justices' private conference on Friday and the release of orders in a week's time. Some justices may participate by telephone, the court said in a statement.
Six of the nine justices are 65 and older, at higher risk of getting very sick from the illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 87, and Stephen Breyer, 81, are the oldest members of the court.
There is no new date set for the postponed arguments. the building has been closed to the public since last week.
The only other time the 85-year-old court building was closed for arguments was in October 2001, when anthrax was detected in the court mailroom. That led the justices to hold arguments in the federal courthouse about a half mile from the Supreme Court,
Within a week and after a thorough cleaning, the court reopened.
In 1918, when the court still met inside the Capitol, arguments were postponed for a month because of the flu pandemic. In the nation's early years, in August 1793 and August 1798, adjustments were made because of yellow fever outbreaks, the court said.
President Joe Biden says the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan will conclude on Aug. 31. He says “speed is safety” as the United States seeks to end the nearly 20-year war.
Fans will be banned from the Tokyo area’s stadiums and arenas when the Olympic Games begin in two weeks.
Federal Reserve officials began debating at their June meeting when and how they would reduce the monthly bond purchases that they have used to keep longer-term interest rates in check.
Former President Donald Trump has filed suit against three of the country's biggest tech companies, claiming he and other conservatives have been wrongfully censored.
Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in an attack on his private residence early Wednesday, according to a statement from the country’s interim prime minister.
The Pentagon said it has canceled a cloud-computing contract with Microsoft that could eventually have been worth $10 billion and will instead pursue a deal with both Microsoft and Amazon.
Ukraine's defense minister is under pressure from members of the government over the decision to have female military cadets wear mid-heeled pumps in a parade
Conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas took a surprising stand on cannabis.
After two months of lower than expected job gains, the June jobs data has brought some cheer to those looking for a faster economic recovery.
America’s employers added 850,000 jobs in June, well above the average of the previous three months and a sign that companies may be having an easier time finding enough workers to fill open jobs.
