Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Law Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Law

Trending @ Rwu Law: Mikela Almeida's Post: Esther Clark Competition Held In R. I. Supreme Court, Mikela Almeida Nov 2015

Trending @ Rwu Law: Mikela Almeida's Post: Esther Clark Competition Held In R. I. Supreme Court, Mikela Almeida

Law School Blogs

No abstract provided.


Opening An Oral Argument Before The Supreme Court: The Decline Of Narrative's Role, Louis J. Sirico Jr. Dec 2014

Opening An Oral Argument Before The Supreme Court: The Decline Of Narrative's Role, Louis J. Sirico Jr.

Louis J. Sirico Jr.

In contrast to an earlier era, today’s oral advocate can expect Supreme Court justices to start asking questions earlier and often. Consequently, the advocate should expect to launch the argument with only a few sentences before the questions begin. These critical sentences offer the brief opportunity to introduce the theme of the subsequent argument. Advocates in other “hot bench” courts face the same challenge.
Our study of opening statements in Supreme Court oral arguments finds that the statements have one of three themes: a conventional legal argument, a policy argument, or a narrative argument. The conventional legal argument is the …