A man walks up the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court on January 31, 2017 in Washington, DC.
Mark Wilson | Getty Images News | Getty Images
The Supreme Court will be closed to the public until further notice amid the coronavirus pandemic, a spokesperson said Thursday.
The building will remain open for “official business,” the spokesperson said. The next oral arguments are scheduled to take place on March 23.
Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a state of emergency on Wednesday as the number of infections in the nation’s capital climbed.
Some of the court’s nine justices are particularly susceptible to COVID-19, the disease caused by coronavirus, which public health officials have said disproportionately impacts older people and those with chronic health conditions.
Six of the justices are 65-years-old or older. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the eldest on the panel, is 86 and has suffered from multiple bouts of cancer.
Coronavirus has infected more than 127,000 people globally and has killed at least 38 in the U.S., according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
This is breaking news. Check back for updates.
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