Chief Justice John Roberts to represent Supreme Court at Biden speech to Congress

WASHINGTON – When President Joe Biden takes the rostrum Wednesday to deliver his first address to a joint session of Congress, he’ll have a live audience that looks substantially different than his predecessors faced , including a much smaller contingent of the Supreme Court.

A spokeswoman for the nation’s highest court confirmed Monday that only Chief Justice John Roberts will attend the address. Roberts, spokeswoman Kathleen Arberg said, was the only one of the nine justices invited due to COVID-19 social distancing protocols. 

That will mark a departure from past presidential addresses when most of the justices arrived in the House chamber clad in their black robes to hear the president speak. This year, far fewer lawmakers will also attend the address because of the pandemic. 

All of the justices have been vaccinated against coronavirus, the court said earlier this year, and they have begun meeting in-person in some instances, including for  conferences in which they decide whether to hear cases. The justices met for their annual photo on Friday, marking the first time the newest member of the court, Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett, was photographed with her new colleagues.

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The court has also taken other precautions: For instance, it continues to hold arguments by telephone and will do so for the remainder of this term. Several of the justices, including Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Neil Gorsuch have addressed groups this month and in those cases they have done so virtually. 

The president's speech will come just before his 100th day in office, which will give him the opportunity to update the public on his key agenda items. In the past three months, Biden has taken the reins of a nation contending with political division as the country continues to reopen, distribute COVID-19 vaccines and debate hot-button issues like police violence and immigration.