The Supreme Court will hear arguments via telephone

Like the rest of the world, the Supreme Court is taking an unprecedented step to avoid a complete coronavirus shutdown.

From May 4 to May 13, the Supreme Court will hear arguments for 10 cases over the phone for the first time in its history. Those arguments include a case over President Trump's financial records and one that could reshape the future of the electoral college and presidential elections.

While some state and federal courts have heard cases remotely for a while, this is the first time the Supreme Court will hear arguments without physically being together under one roof. The court's next session will run from May 4 to May 13, and during that time they'll be asked to rule if so-called faithless electors in the electoral college can cast their ballots for a candidate other than the one their state voted to support. The court will also undertake a case combining House Democrats' and New York state prosecutors' subpoenas for Trump's financial records.

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The Supreme Court has already delivered decisions remotely since the COVID-19 pandemic began, though that wasn't a new practice for the court. The decision to let Wisconsin's primary continue during the pandemic was delivered remotely, but the court had postponed future arguments until deciding to proceed on Monday.