Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. has subtly changed the “script” he uses during U.S. Supreme Court bar admissions in the court chamber—a change that may anticipate the inevitable day when a lawyer will ask the court to admit a same-sex spouse.

The bar admission ritual is a fixture of a typical day at the court. Although lawyers can be admitted to the bar by mail, new members and their sponsors can also go through the process in person. A standing member of the Supreme Court bar approaches the lectern, moves the admission of a proposed member, and attests that the person “possesses the necessary qualifications”— which include being a state-certified legal practitioner in good standing for three years.

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