美国最高法院的所有九名法官星期五举行了近一年来的首次面对面会谈艾米·科尼·巴雷特法官在...死后加入法官正义鲁斯·巴德·金斯伯格。
法官们还与他们的最新成员巴雷特法官合影，这是公众第一次也可能是唯一一次看到所有九名身穿长袍的成员在一起，因为法庭上不允许有摄像头。
没有一名法官戴着面具。一位女发言人说，法庭的所有九名成员都已经为新冠肺炎接种了全面疫苗。
艾琳·沙夫/美联社泳池
最高法院成员在华盛顿特区最高法院合影
这次会议是每周一次的私人会议，讨论案件，在国会大厦对面的最高法院大楼内举行，立法者正在讨论可能的法官扩大和可能的任期限制——现任法官反对这些变化。
“会议是保密的。只有法官参与。每一位大法官依次陈述自己的观点;然后可能会有回应和更广泛的讨论哈佛大学的演讲这个月。
经过几个月的努力，这次集会标志着美国最高法院成员的新篇章有限的个人互动，远程听取辩论和起草意见由于大流行。
凭借其新的六名成员的保守多数，法院在2020年10月开始的这一任期内，迄今为止在辩论和裁决的案件中表现出压倒性的团结。
艾琳·沙夫/通过盖蒂图像池
大法官艾米·科尼·巴雷特站在最高法院大法官的合影中
根据美国广播公司新闻的分析，60%的决定是一致通过的。
“法院必须有一种意见来引导公众，”布雷尔说，“这一事实往往意味着妥协是必要的。”
法官们的妥协能力将在未来几天受到进一步考验，因为他们准备在涉及《患者保护与平价医疗法案》、同性恋、双性恋和变性者寄养、工会组织、投票权和校园言论自由的案件中做出相应的裁决。
索尼娅·索托马约尔大法官在一份声明中说:“我们对如何实现这一目标意见不一，但我不会一开始就指责他们的动机。”罕见的联合公开露面尼尔·戈鲁奇法官。“我们都从根本上相互尊重。”
戈萨奇补充道，“今年，每个人都把注意力集中在索托马约尔大法官和我不同意的几个案例上，好吗。它发生了。我们尊重地做这件事——有时甚至是充满爱意地做。”
虽然法官们亲自召开了他们的每周会议，但法院本身仍然不对公众开放。法院表示，考虑到大型室内集会的公共健康问题，定于4月和5月进行的口头辩论将通过电话会议进行。
Vaccinated justices pose for Supreme Court photo with new Justice Barrett
All nine justices of the U.S. Supreme Court met in person Friday for the first time in nearly a year and sinceJustice Amy Coney Barrettjoined the bench following the death ofJusticeRuth Bader Ginsburg.
The justices also posed for a formal photograph with their newest member, Justice Barrett, giving the public its first and likely only glimpse of all nine robed members together since cameras are not allowed in the courtroom.
None of the justices is seen wearing a mask. All nine members of the court have been fully-vaccinated for COVID-19, a spokeswoman said.
The meeting, a weekly private conference to discuss cases, was held inside the Supreme Court building across from the Capitol, where lawmakers are debating possible expansion of the bench and possible term limits -- changes the current justices oppose.
"The conferences are confidential. Only the justices participate. Each Justice, in turn, presents his or her point of view; and then there may be responses and more general discussion," Justice Stephen Breyer said of the meetings ina speech at Harvard Universitythis month.
The gathering marks a new chapter for members of the nation’s highest court after months spentwith limited personal interaction, hearing arguments and drafting opinions remotelydue to the pandemic.
With its new six-member conservative majority, the court has displayed overwhelming unity so far in cases argued and decided this term, which began in October 2020.
Sixty percent of the decisions delivered have been unanimous, according to an ABC News analysis.
"There must be one opinion 'for the court,' to guide the public," Breyer said, "and that fact often means that compromise is necessary."
The justices' ability to compromise will be tested further in the coming days as they prepare to hand down consequential rulings in cases involving the Affordable Care Act, LGBT foster care, union organizing, voting rights and campus free speech.
"We disagree about how to get there, but I don’t start with impugning their motives," Justice Sonia Sotomayor said in arare joint public appearancewith Justice Neil Gorsuch this month. "We all fundamentally respect each other."
Gorsuch added, "Everybody focuses on the few cases where Justice Sotomayor and I tend to disagree this year, OK. It happens. We do it respectfully – even lovingly sometimes."
While the justices convened in-person for their weekly conference, the court itself remains closed to the public. Oral arguments scheduled for April and May will be conducted via teleconference given public health concerns around large indoor gatherings, the court has said.
