On Tuesday the high court made an unprecedented move to reschedule hearings after Sandy plowed through the city and New Jersey, cutting a destructive path along the east coast.
Facing the life-threatening Hurricane Sandy on Monday was the Supreme Court – the only branch of the federal government that kept its doors open while all other courts in New York and Washington, DC were closed.
On Tuesday the high court made an unprecedented move to reschedule hearings after Sandy plowed through the city and New Jersey, cutting a destructive path along the east coast. The Supreme Court’s website says, oral arguments scheduled for Tuesday will now be postponed until Thursday.
On Wednesday, however, the Supreme Court was back to business.
According to the Wall Street Journal, ‘the court traditionally has been reluctant to close up shop, particularly on days when the justices are scheduled to take the bench.’ Even in 1996, with two feet of snow outside, the court kept its doors open.
Hurricane Sandy was different, however. Not only did the powerful waves and gusty winds force the Supreme Court to close but they also gave the NYSE no choice but to shut down for two days. The last time this happened was in 2001 when the exchange closed for four consecutive days following the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.
