Supreme Court justices return for in-person arguments as they face down busy term of major cases

The Supreme Court is bringing back its free-for-all oral arguments -- with a twist -- with its return to the courtroom.

One of the biggest unknowns about the upcoming term is whether Justice Clarence Thomas will stop being an active participant in oral arguments as was the case before the pandemic. The justice made clear his distaste for the freewheeling argument format the court used in which justices, in no particular order, would interrupt lawyers for the parties with a barrage of questions from the beginning of their argument to the end. 

This format was changed when the court went remote in April 2020 so as to keep order on the telephone conferences. But guidance recently issued told lawyers to prepare for a flurry of questions from justices and even instances in which the justices might "ask questions before you complete your answer to the first Justice."