Argument before Supreme Court today Posted on September 8, 2014 by Chap Politics is an avocation. My real job is practicing law as a Virginia attorney. This morning, I enjoyed one of the ultimate professional experiences which is an argument before a full panel of the Virginia Supreme Court. The Supreme Court building is on Ninth Street, just a few steps down the hill from the General Assembly Building. (Together with the State Capitol and Governor’s Mansion, the entire area makes up “the Capitol Square”). I got there early, before a 9 a.m. argument. Butterflies. Walking into the building, there are lawyers from all over Virginia. I push my way into the “Appellees’ Work Room,” which is a simple white-washed room with chairs, desks and a “No Smoking” sign on the door. Not a computer in sight. At 8:45 a.m., I check in with the court clerk. Inside the hearing room, the justices sit on a raised dais. The attorneys stand beneath them at counsel table On both sides of the room, the portraits of a hundred former justices look down. It’s a serious place. At 9 a.m., our case was called. I’m the appellee, which means I oppose the appeal. The appellant gets fifteen minutes and then it’s my turn. I have notes but I barely look at them — mainly I’m answering rapid-fire questions from the justices. We’re done. The red light buzzes on the lectern and the Chief Judge smiles and dismisses us. We’ll get a written decision in sixty days or so. A hundred years from now, some forlorn law clerk may be citing to that opinion in a legal brief. It’s raining outside as I walk back on Ninth Street to my car. - See more at: oxroadsouth/2014/09/argument-before-supreme-court-today/#sthash.JjILMVaQ.dpuf
Posted on: Tue, 09 Sep 2014 12:06:21 +0000
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