The US Supreme Court announced Monday that they are postponing oral arguments scheduled for the March session beginning March 23. By deferring the arguments the court is “keeping with public health precautions recommended in response to COVID-19.” The justices last took to the bench on March 9 and were not scheduled to do so again until March 23.

The court will hold its regularly scheduled conference on Friday, March 20, with some of the justices participating over the phone. They will release the orders from the conference on Monday, March 23. The building is closed to the public, but remains open for official business.

Postponing oral arguments is not unprecedented. In October 1918 the court postponed oral arguments in response to the outbreak of the Spanish flu epidemic, and it also shortened its calendar in 1793 and 1798 in response to the yellow fever outbreaks.

Among those arguments postponed is a dispute over President Donald Trump’s financial records. The court has not yet rescheduled the arguments.