As Nora explained in her piece on the Supreme Court lottery last year, the court launched a pilot program in December 2024 that allows members of the public to enter a “lottery” and apply online for the chance of a seat at oral argument – an alternative to camping out in front of the court with hopes of getting a spot the (now) “old-fashioned” way.
The lottery system continued through the 2025-26 term, and assuming no major changes are made, will again be implemented for the upcoming one. The window to enter the lottery begins “shortly after the calendar for a monthly argument session is released,” and, indeed, the clock is now running for the October and November argument sessions.
If attending an oral argument is a bucket-list item for you (or one of your friends or family members), here’s a quick recap of how the process works and what you need to know:
The mechanics are less painful than “government website” would suggest. As mentioned, applications open shortly after a monthly calendar is posted; you can either go to the Supreme Court website, and from there to “Courtroom Seating” (under the “Oral Arguments” dropdown) or directly to the Supreme Court’s “Online Ticketing” site. Once there, you click the blue “Continue” button, click a highlighted day on the reservation system’s calendar, and follow the prompts. The main thing to pay attention to here is that after you submit, the court sends you a validation email to the address you entered, and you have four hours to click through before your application lapses.
Applications for a given argument close four weeks before the argument date. Three weeks out, the court emails every applicant with one of three answers – selected, not selected, or waitlisted. Waitlisted applicants can still be called up as late as one business day before argument. If you are selected, you have 24 hours to confirm, after which your seat goes to someone else.
Each person may enter only once per argument, and a single application can cover up to four people, who are entered as a unit (either the whole group gets seats or none of them do). Submitting duplicate entries can get you disqualified, and there is no working the refs: the court’s FAQ states that the selection process is “entirely automated.”
Your odds depend heavily on the case (if more people enter, that means there’s less of a chance that you will be chosen at random), and tickets are non-transferable. If your plans change, cancel through the link in your ticket email; not showing up can cost you eligibility for future lotteries.
On the morning of the argument, plan to arrive an hour before it is scheduled to start, entering through the south visitor’s entrance beneath the right side of the front steps. Bring the ticket, printed out or on your phone, plus your ID. Since electronics (phones, smart watches, cameras, tablets) can’t come into the courtroom, you will put them in the lockers available downstairs. Attendees for the 10 a.m. argument are seated 15 to 30 minutes before the session begins.
If the lottery doesn’t break your way, seats are still set aside for people in line the morning of argument. Oh, and for anyone who can’t use the online system, the court accepts entries by phone or mail to the Marshal’s office.