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I realize this might be a silly scenario, but suppose that nine of the storage units in the Wooden v. United States case had been rented by Supreme Court justices. Then all of the justices might have a conflict of interest in a case that was presented before the court. What would happen in this scenario? Would they just have to let the lower court's ruling stand?

(If I understand this rule correctly, if four justices had conflicts of interest, the court would lack a quorum. That's more likely, though admittedly very unlikely.)

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    This Politics.SE Q&A may also have relevant thoughts, as it addresses the when and how of Justice recusals. The short being there's no hard and fast rules and each Justice does or doesn't recuse however they please, and are compelled by higher interests to adjudicate constitutional issues whenever they need addressing even if they may not be out of the issue's shadows (e.g. female Justices aren't expected to recuse from abortion cases just because it's a gender specific civil rights issue, etc.)
    – zibadawa timmy
    Commented May 4, 2022 at 15:26

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If six justices decided that the case were sufficiently important, they could refrain from recusing themselves so as to be able to hear it. If that didn't happen, the lower court's ruling would stand, as you suggest.

If I understand this rule correctly, if four justices had conflicts of interest, the court would lack a quorum. That's more likely, though admittedly very unlikely.

However unlikely it may be, it has actually happened (for example, Shao v. Roberts).

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    What a truly bizarre case that is.
    – zibadawa timmy
    Commented May 4, 2022 at 14:35
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    @zibadawatimmy there are other examples; I don't know whether they are comparably bizarre.
    – phoog
    Commented May 4, 2022 at 14:53
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    Also worth noting that the existence of a conflict of interest is a question resolved in the discretion of the justices of the Supreme Court and is not subject to review by any other court, by Congress (except by impeachment), or by the executive branch. In almost all cases, it is a decision made in the sole discretion of the justice alleged to have a conflict of interest. This practice has been the target of reform proposals seeking to change the law in this regard.
    – ohwilleke
    Commented May 5, 2022 at 2:51

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