IOP VIII: Oral Argument

A. General. The Court establishes the times allotted for oral argument and the Clerk so notifies the parties at least one week before argument starts. Though the calendar is not called at the beginning of the court day, counsel should be present at the opening or make arrangements to ascertain whether there is any change in the order of the cases at the opening of Court. It is counsel's responsibility to be present and be prepared should earlier cases take less time for oral argument than was anticipated. See 1st Cir. R. 34.1.

B. Disclosure of Panel in Advance of Oral Argument. The names of the judges on each panel may be disclosed for a particular session seven (7) days in advance of the session. Once the panel is made public, the Court will not normally grant motions for continuances or for a change in argument date during the same session.

C. Lights. The signal lights are located on the Clerk's desk and they are set so that an amber light turns on when there are five minutes left and it remains on until the red light turns on indicating that the time for oral argument has ended.

D. Recording. Oral arguments in all cases are digitally recorded for the use of the Court and are not part of the permanent record of the case. A disk copy of the recording of an oral argument may be obtained by submitting a request in writing to the Clerk with a check in the amount prescribed by the Judicial Conference of the United States. The Schedule of Fees is posted on this court's website at www.ca1.uscourts.gov. Audio recordings of the court's oral arguments are also available on the court's website.