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Supreme Court to make history today by livestreaming audio of arguments

Posted at 6:58 AM, May 04, 2020
and last updated 2020-05-04 10:54:43-04

The Supreme Court will make history Monday when it live-streams audio of oral arguments in a case for the first time.

Earlier this year, the court said it would hear arguments in a series of cases via teleconference due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It also said it would stream live audio of the proceedings — giving unprecedented access to how the cases are conducted.

All justices and lawyers will conduct proceedings from their homes.

While C-SPAN provides live video of Congressional hearings and parliamentary procedure and reporters are routinely granted one-on-one interviews with the President, the Supreme Court is famously shielded from public view. Cameras have never been allowed in the courtroom during arguments, and until two years ago, case filings weren't even available online.

Monday's case surrounds Booking.com's effort to trademark its name. Past precedent holds that companies can't receive trademarks for generic terms that could confuse consumers. The Booking.com case surrounds the company's use of ".com" in its trademark.

Listen to the arguments below when proceedings begin at 10 a.m.