Fifth Circuit Holds Rare In-Person Arguments Amid Pandemic

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit held two in-person oral arguments in Houston for the first time since the start of the pandemic and scheduled two more.

Arguments presented on Tuesday and those set for Wednesday at the Bob Casey U.S. Courthouse stand out at a time when Covid cases are surging in Texas and elsewhere and most circuit and Supreme Court proceedings remain virtual.

Attorneys who participated in the arguments, however, said they felt comfortable with health precautions the court took to limit potentially spreading the virus.

“I was quite impressed,” said Kevin D. Evans, ...