Supreme Court launches new public seating lottery system for arguments
SCOTUS NEWS
Members of the public who want to attend oral arguments at the Supreme Court can now apply through an online lottery to obtain advance reservations for seats. (Amy Lutz via Shutterstock)
Members of the public who want to attend oral arguments at the Supreme Court can now apply through an online lottery to obtain advance reservations for seats at those arguments. In a Thursday afternoon press release, the Supreme Court announced that it had launched a pilot program for seats at the court’s argument session in February 2025. The Supreme Court’s courtroom can hold over 400 people. However, only a small number of seats (sometimes less than 50) are reserved for the public. The new pilot program allows anyone who wants to attend an oral argument to enter an online lottery on the court’s site. The court did not specify how many seats would be available via the lottery. The court stated that some seats would be available to the public on the date of the argument on a “first-come-first-served” basis.
