Supreme Court Oral Arguments Extend Beyond Allotted Time, Testing Justices' Patience
Oral arguments at the United States Supreme Court have been consistently extending beyond their traditional 60-minute duration, often stretching to 90 minutes or longer. This trend, which became more pronounced during the COVID-19 pandemic, is testing the patience of some justices, including Chief Justice John Roberts. The pandemic necessitated changes to the argument format, introducing uninterrupted introductory statements for advocates and individual questioning time for each justice before a more open discussion. While some changes, like Justice Clarence Thomas's increased participation, have been welcomed, the extended duration and increased speaking by some justices, particularly Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson and Justice Sonia Sotomayor, are noted. According to Tonja Jacobi, a law professor at Emory University, liberal justices tend to speak more when they anticipate being on the losing side of an argument, attempting to persuade their colleagues. 
