Supreme Court Arguments Get Longer to the Delight of Advocates

US Supreme Court arguments are getting longer post-pandemic—and advocates like it.

Court closures prompted the justices to modify their questioning format, and some of those changes have remained as the justices have retaken the bench.

Last term, that resulted in more than 19 extra hours, equivalent to 18 extra minutes per argument and 28% more argument time overall, according to Goodwin’s William Jay, whose Supreme Court and Appellate Litigation team kept track of court’s new questioning format.

The stats for the latest sitting seem even more striking, Jay said. The justices averaged just under 28 extra ...