Justice O’Connor Addresses Oral Argument, Supreme Court

Yesterday afternoon, retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor spoke before a packed Bailey Hall on the importance of oral argument in the Supreme Court.

O’Connor, the first female justice, told the audience that she chose to speak about oral arguments to correct the false assumption that the Supreme Court Justices make their decisions “without outside assistance.”

She stressed the importance of lawyers’ oral arguments, which “identify and spell out the legal issues [of cases] . . . and shape a consistent, coherent body of law.”