On Circuit Program

• History of the Program
• Description of the Program
• The Cases from Beginning to End
• What Happens After a Host School is Selected?
• Circuit Tips and Rules
• Previous "On Circuit" Visits
• Supreme Court
  

Most Recent Visit

University of Hartford
October 16, 2019 - PDF

History of the Program

Description of the Program

The Supreme Court On Circuit program provides students and members of the public with the opportunity to observe oral arguments in appellate cases. Each year, the court selects a location where arguments will be heard.

The program’s goal is simple: To educate students and residents of the state about the role and responsibilities of the appellate system.

Volunteer attorneys often prepare synopses of the assigned appeals and meet with students before the day’s oral arguments to discuss the issues to be argued before the Court. Local bar associations and teaching staff are invaluable during this process, and provide the students with the background they need both to understand the process and the cases that will be argued.

Typically, two cases are argued on the day of the event. After each argument, the attorneys who argued the case usually participate in a question-and-answer session with the students. Volunteer attorneys often work with professors and teachers to facilitate the sessions.

Publishing the opinion takes time because it requires careful analysis of the law. When released, the decision may be accessed through the Advance Release Opinions page on the Judicial Branch website.

The Cases - From Beginning to End

These links connect to selected cases that the justices have heard and decided as part of the program.