Sotomayor and Gorsuch deny reported tensions over wearing masks at Supreme Court

Washington — Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Neil Gorsuch publicly refuted reports on Wednesday that the two were at odds over mask-wearing during proceedings at the Supreme Court, calling the reporting "false."

In a rare joint statement released through the court, the two justices said the notion that Sotomayor asked Gorsuch to wear a mask, which he has not done during recent oral arguments, "surprised us" and is "false."

"While we may sometimes disagree about the law, we are warm colleagues and friends," the pair said.