Audio: A legal Flush, during SCOTUS phone hearing

WASHINGTON–Was it the flush heard round the world? Or just some weird electronic noise that sounded suspiciously like a flushing toilet?

LISTEN: Toilet flush during U.S. Supreme Court oral argument (h/t @nicninh) pic.twitter.com/He3QGMzvJI

— Jeremy Art (@cspanJeremy) May 6, 2020

Lawyer Roman Martinez was responding to a question from Justice Elena Kagan, late in his argument for striking down a federal law barring robocalls to cellphones, when live audio picked up the familiar sound.

There was no word from the court on what exactly happened or, if it was a toilet, who may have flushed. The justices were on the line for nearly three hours Wednesday, but they did take a short break between cases.

Ajit Pai, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, offered a humorous take on Twitter:

To be clear, the @FCC does not construe the flushing of a toilet immediately after counsel said "what the FCC has said" to reflect a substantive judgment of the Supreme Court, or of any Justice thereof, regarding an agency determination. #SCOTUS https://t.co/cghyBfn7rE

— Ajit Pai (@AjitPaiFCC) May 6, 2020