How is the procedure handled for members of the public attending Supreme Court oral arguments? I think that later this month I would like to take my daughter to a session of the Court to watch an oral argument.
Do I have to get there early? Is there a big line? How long can I stay? Do you get a good view of everything?
I’m referring to a typical argument day, not one that involves a high profile case. Thanks in advance.
http://www.supremecourt.gov/faq_visiting.aspx#faqvc5
And… from FAQ
And…
http://www.supremecourt.gov/oral_arguments/courtroomseating.aspx
To me, this is impressively open. To tour the Capitol, right across from it, I needed to obtain a ticket online for a specific tour time, etc. etc.
On the other hand, you could turn up, queue for hours and see nothing.
Thanks. Does anyone have any experience with the actual process? What time should I line up to be sure of getting a seat. Obviously that would change for the March 4 arguments in King, but say it is a typical boring day about a Clean Air Act interpretation where most people don’t care about the outcome? What if I want a “front row” seat? How big is the courtroom, and how many seats are available to the public? Are all seats good, or if I arrive late will the Justices look like tiny dots in the distance?
You should also inquire about the acoustics. Will you be able to hear a word anybody is saying? Will Their Honors’ questions be audible, or just as a faint rustling of leaves on the horizon?
This Blog post seems to answer some of your questions.
My recollection is that the court room is not very big, so i don’t think the judges would look like dots in the distance. However that was on a tour, not a hearing, so I don’t have personal knowledge.
One thing to note is that it’s a good thing you don’t want one of the big media circus cases. In those it’s been seen that some media - who have to abide by the rules same as everyone else - have either interns or homeless or professional line-waiters stand there for days prior to admission.
Access to the Court would be improved if they televised/streamed their hearings, like the Supreme Court of Canada does.
The SCC has live streaming of the hearings, so anyone who’s interested in the case can just watch it on their computer.
No, credentialed news reporters have their own seating behind the pillars to the left of the court room. They don’t have to wait in line and they don’t hire line standers.
There is an audio system in the court room. There’s no problem hearing.
Still, I imagine for really high profile cases they don’t have room in the designated media section for all the reporters who want to be there, and a lot of them end up having to wait in line with the general public (or hire line standers to do so).
So this is based entirely on your imagination?
Interesting. It seems that no matter your position in line (so long as you get there early enough to get in the courtroom) it is still random as to who gets the best publicly available seat.
Loved to sit in at court when I lived in DC.
My $.02–you should really consider camping out.
There is almost always a line that starts the night before, even with ostensibly low-profile cases. If you’re not there several hours before opening (i.e. no camping), you’re almost certainly not getting in. You basically have to stand in line and wait until shortly before they start letting folks in and one of the guards will tell the line where the approximate cut-off is.
Though things may have changed since the turn of the century, it’s a lot of fun and the court is very accommodating to camping out (e.g. they have large lockers that can hold a sleeping bag and some gear). Modern gear is surprisingly comfortable and it’s an awesome experience.
I don’t know how old your daughter is, but there were plenty of ‘kids’ there. It wasn’t unusual to see several high schoolers and even the occasional middle school kid. Staying into the night meant lots of thoughtful conversation with other people interested in the case at hand or the law in general, so even with opposing sides there is plenty of GD-level (and above) discourse. It’s more of a comradery than an antagonistic setting–even for some of the early Guantanamo cases or the Pledge case.
There are always cops in the area and some people awake; I’ve never seen/heard of anyone getting harassed while on line (I also went to law school a block or two away so had plenty of conversations with people who went. Plus, it was between school and my apartment at the time, so I’d pass the line at all hours of the morning, sometimes stopping to talk about the next day).
So you get there, find the line, meet nice neighbours and bond for a few hours into evening. Nap a bit fitfully if you’re not a camper or deeply if you are, and go home with a rock-star level story for a quintessential American Civics activity.
Wow. Many thanks for sharing that.
I would have to get pretty damned drunk to be able to get a second’s worth of sleep on the Supreme Court plaza. Plus, I would certainly wear a suit to such an event. Do I hang my suit in the tent? 
Plus, this is late February, so it would get pretty cold. I’ve never slept outside without a campfire. I’m sure that is frowned upon there.
What if I weasel out, get a hotel and get there early? In your experience, how early is early enough? 7am? 6am? earlier? Once I get in line must I stand there at all times (e.g. grade school rules apply)? Or, once my spot is claimed am I free to walk around, have a coffee or a smoke, and then come back? Will I have to get into arguments with people who show up and “save” spots in line for their 25 friends?
I’m unclear as to what you hope to experience. Even for lawyers, attending a high court hearing on a case they are unfamiliar with is bewildering and largely uninformative.
If you are hoping to introduce your daughter to the judicial system (and that is a wonderful idea) pick instead a local District court where there will be dozens of people from all walks of life facing ordinary charges but frightened non the less. That is where the real judicial work gets done.
Because it’s awesome. Full stop. I’ve been to many hearings and cases in district courts in as many opulent courtrooms as mundane office-like rooms, and none come close to the tangible grandeur of the Supreme Court. This isn’t to discourage attending a lower court if possible or there is interest in the court’s docket, just that the Supreme Court is it.
The Court’s calendar is known well in advance, so it’s very easy to know what’s being heard well before arrival. And once you know which cases will be heard, there’s a wealth of information and analysis about them to understand what issues are in play (nothing makes it all the way to the Supreme Court without lots of discussion). And even if it’s as mundane and unrelated to the OP’s interest, knowing just a little about the case unveils stories–actual people–behind them and understanding the importance to them and the rest of the law easily generates interest.
Many people are up all night anyway, just talking and discussing and, well, tailgating. Also, you’re not in the plaza itself, but wrapped along the sidewalk. Um, not that that makes any difference.
So no campfires, but if you tell even a middling camping store what you’re planning on (or post here), you’ll get tons of advice as to how to keep toasty (snowstorms, rain, cold snaps excepted), from battery-powered socks to disposable heat-packs and portable cots, it’s possible.
I’d ask if any current DC residents drive past the Court at those hours. I’m pretty sure you’re talking about four AM at the latest, but things may have changed. For a couple of the larger cases I arrived at ten or so the night before and it was too late. Not to discourage if overnighting isn’t in the cards, but I’d keep digging to find out, say, where the approximate cut-off point is (as in, how far down the sidewalk before you know no one is getting in). I used to know it’s general whereabouts, but it’s not exact as people are fluffy and sometimes two people would be ‘saving’ a spot for ten others.
Nothing ever came of spot-holding, but it’s a terribly shitty thing to do. You have someone at the rear of the line who camped out all night (it’s doable but not necessarily luxurious), when suddenly ten people here and five people there, all freshly showered and hotel-slept show up and fifteen people behind them don’t get in.
Not that you can’t come and go at all–it’s not elementary school–but it depends to an extent on who you’re next to–best thing you can do is bring coffee and a box of doughnuts for the people around you. That may also be another option gear-wise. If you want to bring lawn chairs and double-extra blankets and have a car nearby, you’ll likely be able to ask someone to hold your spot and go put them in your car. Again, I don’t know what the past five (oh crap, ten) years have done to security and the size of lockers, but if you can avoid issues so be it.
When I lived there this and the walking tour of the Washington Monument (did you know you can walk down the inside of the Monument and see all the commemorative stones?) were always the biggest hits from visitors–and I lived within walking distance of the National Mall.