Supreme Court resumes public tours

The Supreme Court announced on Monday that it will reopen to the public this week in another step towards resuming its practices before the Covid pandemic leads to strict limits on who can enter the building.

Starting Thursday, the building will be open to visitors from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays when judges are not hearing arguments, according to the court’s website. A court spokesperson confirmed the reopening plans.

The ruling marks the latest return to pre-pandemic operations at the High Court. In October, the court began allowing visitors to attend oral arguments, but the building was otherwise closed to the public.

Prior to March 2020, visitors could tour the courthouse, view exhibits, and visit the cafeteria and gift shop.

The recent reopening moves come amid heightened concerns about how the public views the court after it struck down the constitutional right to abortion, as well as concerns about the safety of judges.

A fence was erected around the building in May after the abortion ruling was leaked, sparking protests around the court and the homes of some judges. A California gunman has been charged with attempted murder after being arrested outside the home of conservative Judge Brett Kavanaugh in Maryland in June.

The fence around the Supreme Court was removed in August.

Lawrence Hurley contributed.