On Wednesday, US Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Neil Gorsuch released a joint statement debunking previous reporting from the NPR alleging that Gorsuch refused to wear a mask despite worries from Sotomayor, who is diabetic.
"Reporting that Justice Sotomayor asked Justice Gorsuch to wear a mask surprised us. It is false. While we may sometimes disagree about the law, we are warm colleagues and friends," the joint statement reads, according to SCOTUSblog.
The NPR story, written by Nina Totenberg, stated that court sources told the outlet that Sotomayor felt unsafe in close proximity with others, particularly those who are unmasked.
In response, Chief Justice John Roberts allegedly instructed the other judges and court staffers to mask up, with Gorsuch being the only one to go against the instructions.
"They all did. Except Gorsuch, who, as it happens, sits next to Sotomayor on the bench. His continued refusal since then has also meant that Sotomayor has not attended the justices' weekly conference in person, joining instead by telephone," wrote Totenberg, who goes on to state that Gorsuch’s repeated refusal to mask up has prompted Sotomayor to work remotely, out of the office.
Speaking with Fox News on Tuesday Night, network host and reporter Shannon Bream stated that a source at the Supreme Court said that there has been no such request from Roberts for judges to wear masks to arguments, and that no such request came from Sotomayor to Gorsuch either.
"A source at the Supreme Court says there has been no blanket admonition or request from Chief Justice Roberts that the other Justices begin wearing masks to arguments. The source further stated Justice Sotomayor did not make any such request to Justice Gorsuch. I’m told, given that fact, there was also no refusal by Justice Gorsuch." reported Bream. "The justices are all vaccinated and boosted and they do test before taking the bench for arguments."
Join and support independent free thinkers!
We’re independent and can’t be cancelled. The establishment media is increasingly dedicated to divisive cancel culture, corporate wokeism, and political correctness, all while covering up corruption from the corridors of power. The need for fact-based journalism and thoughtful analysis has never been greater. When you support The Post Millennial, you support freedom of the press at a time when it's under direct attack. Join the ranks of independent, free thinkers by supporting us today for as little as $1.
Remind me next month
To find out what personal data we collect and how we use it, please visit our Privacy Policy