RULES OF SUPREME COURT OF LOUISIANA

PART A. PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE

RULE VIII. ORAL ARGUMENT

Section 1. The appellant or appellants, applicant or applicants, relator or relators, as the case may be, shall have the right to open and close the argument. When there are two or more appellants, applicants, or relators in the same case, the court shall decide, when the case is called for argument, who shall open and who shall close the argument, unless the parties agree upon the one who shall open and upon the one who shall close the argument.

Section 2. (A) Forty minutes, divided equally between the opposing parties, will be allowed for oral argument in lawyer discipline cases and all criminal cases except capital cases, unless additional time is requested, for good cause and allowed in advance of argument.

(B) Sixty minutes, divided equally between the opposing parties, will be allowed for oral argument in civil cases, unless additional time is requested, for good cause, and allowed in advance of argument.

(C) Sixty minutes, divided equally between the opposing parties, will be allowed for oral argument in cases in which the Judiciary Commission recommends the discipline of a judge, unless additional time is requested, for good cause, and allowed in advance of argument.

(D) Eighty minutes, divided equally between the opposing parties, will be allowed for oral argument in capital cases, unless additional time is requested, for good cause, and allowed in advance of argument.

The court in its discretion may prescribe a shorter period of oral argument for a case or class of case. Furthermore, the court in its discretion may limit oral argument in any case in which the argument becomes repetitive or irrelevant to the issue or issues before the court.


Section 3. When, in the citation of authorities, a law book is referred to which is not in the consultation room or in the state library, the attorney citing the book must produce it and leave it with the clerk of court until the case is decided.


Section 4. Oral argument will not be allowed in support of or in opposition to:

a. An application for a rehearing.

b. An application for a writ of review to the court of appeal.
c. An application for a supervisory or remedial writ.


Section 5. Repealed effective November 12, 1997.