Supreme Court to reopen to the public this week

The Supreme Court announced this week that it will reopen to the public this week in a move toward resuming its practices before the Covid epidemic led to strict limits on who can enter the building.

The court said the building will be open to visitors from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays when justices are not hearing arguments. A court spokeswoman confirmed the reopening plans.

The move marks the latest return to pre-pandemic operations at the high court. The court allowed visitors to attend arguments in October, but the building was closed to the public.

Visitors could tour the court, view exhibits and visit the cafeteria and gift shop before March 2020.

Concerns about how the public views the court after it struck down the constitutional right to an abortion and concerns about the safety of justices are some of the concerns raised by the recent steps to reopen.

A fence was erected around the building in May after the leaked abortion ruling caused protests around the court and the homes of some justices. An armed California man was charged with attempted murder after he was arrested outside conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh's Maryland home in June.

The fencing around the Supreme Court was removed in August.