Overview of the Supreme Court
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Between September and June of each year, the Supreme Court hears oral
arguments on pending cases in eight two-week terms in the Supreme Court
courtroom located at
231
Capitol Avenue in Hartford. Oral arguments are open to the
public and you are invited to attend.
The proceedings in the Supreme
Court differ from the trial court proceedings in three important respects:
First, this court does not hear the testimony of witnesses. Instead, it
hears the arguments of lawyers for each party, who have filed written briefs
beforehand in which they have described the case to the court.
Second, this
court does not decide questions of fact. Instead, it decides issues of law,
such as the interpretation of a statute or the constitutionality of the
procedures used in presenting evidence at trial.
Finally, this court does
not decide a case immediately after the proceedings. Rather, after each side
has had the opportunity to present its case to the court in a half-hour oral
argument, the court takes the case under advisement and delivers its
judgment within a few months.