For the second year in a row, U.S. Supreme Court justices have met with members of the House of Representatives behind closed doors to discuss the court's annual budget request, which includes a request for a small funding increase.

Court spokeswoman Kathy Arberg confirmed that Justices Anthony Kennedy and Stephen Breyer met on March 22 at the court with Rep. Tom Graves, R-Georgia, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee's subcommittee on financial services and general government, and Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Illinois, ranking minority party member. The subcommittee oversees the high court's budget.

Asked why no public hearing had been scheduled, committee spokeswoman Jennifer Hing said in an email, “Our hearing season is not yet over,” perhaps suggesting that a Supreme Court hearing might yet be scheduled.