The Supreme Court will again be the big focus in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, as the Justices will issue some of the final decisions of their 2011-2012 term - whether that includes a ruling on the Obama health law, no one knows.
Once again, the major TV news networks and all kind of other news organizations will be on alert - just in case the decision is handed down, and that will lead to a bit of a traffic jam over at the Supreme Court press room as the rulings are issued.
So, the Supreme Court Public Information Office set out these new guidelines for how the decisions will be handed out Thursday and next week:
"In order to best accommodate press needs for the rest of the Term and to deal with the growing number of reporters here for the remaining Court days, we have decided to implement the following change to our procedure. This will go into effect tomorrow, Thursday, June 21.
Only Supreme Court credential holders will pick up opinions in PIO's Room G-42. Opinions will be distributed to all other reporters in Room G-49 (PIO's document room). We will open the far door in the Pressroom (near the FOX cubicle) to allow additional access to the Pressroom for reporters coming from G-49. Reporters who go to the Courtroom will be handed opinions as usual from G-42 immediately following the Court session. Members of the public interested in picking up copies of the opinions will receive them from G-49 after all of the opinions have been announced and provided to press.
Please let us know by 4 p.m. today your news organization's plan for coverage of the remaining Court days. Who, if anyone from your news organization, will be in the Courtroom? Seating in the Courtroom will be Plan B (the first two rows reserved for hard pass holders) unless otherwise noted on a credential provided by PIO. Will you be in Room G-42 or in the Courtroom? Will you have an additional person drawing from Room G-49? We'd like to get a count for planning purposes, and names, if possible. All press in the Courtroom, in PIO, and in the Pressroom must have current press credentials. Also, please note that electronic devices and cell phones may not be used in PIO (including G-42 and G-49) or in the Pressroom in the vicinity of G-42 during the announcement of opinions.
Please pass this information on to anyone from your news organization who will be at the Court on opinion days. Thank you.
Meanwhile, there has been no answer yet from Chief Justice John Roberts on requests for live TV and radio coverage of the Supreme Court's actual health law ruling announcement.
Hardly anyone believes that the Court would actually open the doors to live coverage inside, so don't hold your breath for a big change in plans.
Depending on how you count, there are either 10 or 12 cases left to be decided by the Supreme Court - the Obama health law matter actually involves three different cases; that means there are nine rulings to be issued other than the Obama health law questions.
