John Mulaney Had His Reasons for SCOTUS Visit

One of the stranger questions to emerge from Wednesday's high-stakes Supreme Court arguments on President Trump's tariffs: Why was John Mulaney there? Turns out, the comedian sat in the court's press gallery to support a pal and perhaps do some research, per the Hollywood Reporter. One of the attorneys who challenged Trump's tariffs before the justices was Mulaney's friend, Neal Katyal. More to the point: The two are working on a possible TV show about SCOTUS—"a West Wing for the Supreme Court," Katyal said earlier this year.

A mutual friend of both men elaborates to Business Insider. "My dear friend John is far more than a world-class theatrical talent; he is a serious public intellectual with a deep interest in law and American civics," says constitutional scholar and Yale Law School professor Akhil Reed Amar. "So it is unsurprising that he would want to attend one of the biggest Supreme Court oral arguments of our time—especially because his close friend Neal Katyal was center stage today, so to speak."

Katyal, a partner at Milbank LLP, represented businesses challenging the legality of the president's tariffs. Mulaney himself didn't provide more details on his court appearance, other than to tweet, "Cheap seats but a great show" on Wednesday evening.