Security fences that have surrounded the Supreme Court building since the spring were removed over the weekend. However, the building itself remains closed.

The court’s information office did not immediately confirm with DCist/WAMU why the fencing was removed. The office also did not confirm when the building will reopen to the public. The building closed in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic began.

The non-scalable fences were put up shortly after the unprecedented leak in May of a draft decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling that decriminalized abortion nationwide. The leak prompted protests nationwide and in front of the court building. Hundreds of people continued protesting in front of the building when Dobbs v. Jackson officially overturned Roe in June. Some protesters also gathered in front of conservative justices’ homes.

While protests were largely peaceful, police detained protesters for blocking traffic in front of the Supreme Court. In response to the protests in front of the justices’ homes, Montgomery County police ramped up enforcement. A man with a gun and knife was also arrested near Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s Maryland home, and charged with threatening to kill Kavanaugh.