Roberts Vows to Curb Supreme Court Arguments Nearing 90 Minutes as Justices Fault Current Format
Updated
Updated · CNN · May 24
Roberts Vows to Curb Supreme Court Arguments Nearing 90 Minutes as Justices Fault Current Format
2 articles · Updated · CNN · May 24
Chief Justice John Roberts said the Supreme Court’s oral arguments are “way too long” and pledged to review the process this summer after public complaints from several justices.
Justices say the post-pandemic hybrid format—free-form questioning followed by a seniority-based round—has encouraged “too much speechifying” and made it harder to enforce the court’s nominal 60-minute limit.
CNN found arguments this term averaged just under 90 minutes, nearly 10 minutes longer than in 2020; the longest, the Trump global tariffs case, ran nearly three hours after being set for 80 minutes.
Any move to shorten sessions could hit the liberal bloc hardest: Sonia Sotomayor averaged more than six minutes of speaking per argument and Ketanji Brown Jackson more than eight, while no other justice topped five.
The debate matters beyond courtroom management because livestreamed arguments are one of the public’s few direct windows into the court, even though legal experts say they often do little to change likely case outcomes.
As justices debate long arguments, could data on speaking time lead to a judicial 'shot clock'?
With other high courts using cameras for years, what is the final barrier to video in the Supreme Court?