Welcome to Supreme Court Brief. My name is Jimmy Hoover. I have been covering the Supreme Court for the National Law Journal and ALM since April 2023. Thanks for reading. If you'd like to get in touch, you can reach me at [email protected]. Follow me on X: @JimmyHooverDC.

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM (October 2021)

Justice Clarence Thomas did not attend Monday's two oral arguments for unknown reasons. Despite his absence, Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. noted that he would still participate in deciding the cases based off the briefs and the argument transcripts.

Thomas, 75, last missed oral arguments in March 2022 after he was hospitalized with what the court said were "flu-like symptoms." The appointee of President George H.W. Bush is now the most senior associate justice and also among the court's most conservative members, having in 2022 authored the majority opinion expanding the Second Amendment in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen.