[Alberta's Child]

Oral arguments are just a public spectacle. The real arguments are made in the written legal briefs. That’s why Clarence Thomas never asks any questions. He has said these oral arguments are a waste of a judge’s time.

[circlecity]

"The real arguments are made in the written legal briefs."

And the purpose of oral arguments is to nail down any holes or ambiguities left open by the briefs.

[fatima]

I got through reading half of it.It does give you a feel for what direction the Judge might be heading.Some of the arguments were lame.

[zeugma]

Oral arguments are just a public spectacle. The real arguments are made in the written legal briefs. That’s why Clarence Thomas never asks any questions. He has said these oral arguments are a waste of a judge’s time.

I agree with him, though I feel that there is a public benefit these days, now that it is pretty easy to actually read through the oral arguments. I think it's a good idea to have at least some idea of their reasoning processes made available, rather than the decision being largely an opaque box. An informed citizenry is a Good Thing&mark;.

Also, I really would be interested in hearing what he might have wanted to ask.