At the Supreme Court, it’s taking longer to hear cases
Associated PressWASHINGTON — When lawyers argue before the Supreme Court, a small white light goes on to tell them when their time is almost expired and then a red light signals when they should stop. Arguments that usually lasted an hour in the morning have stretched well beyond two, and on many days it’s long past lunchtime before the court breaks. Justices have said in the past that lawyers’ written briefs, not oral arguments, most influence their decisions, so it’s unclear if the extra time is really helping them decide cases. Chief Justice William Rehnquist, who was chief from 1986 to 2005, was known for cutting off lawyers and even fellow justices when the lawyer’s red light went on. Seth Waxman, a veteran of more than 80 Supreme Court arguments, once remarked that for Rehnquist: “The red light ended everything — absolutely everything.” Roberts, who became chief after Rehnquist’s death, is less strict, but before the pandemic, arguments were still generally an hour.
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