Extras · 1 of 4

A typical day

Read the morning's motions and the clerk's memos before court opens. Then the calendar: arraignments, pleas, sentencing, or a civil motion where two lawyers argue for an hour over a document. Rulings from the bench where you can, reserved decisions where you cannot. Afternoons in chambers reading briefs, working through drafts with your law clerks, and writing. Trials take over completely for days or weeks at a time.