Observing Oral Arguments

Oral arguments at the Florida Supreme Court are held once a month and open to the public. Please check the Oral Argument Schedule for dates and times. Additionally, please review the Argument Case Summaries for more details about each case. Some cases may not be appropriate for young audiences. 

What to Expect
Arguments in most cases last approximately 40 minutes (20 minutes each side), although some cases – including death penalty cases – are given additional time. For most argument sessions, four cases are scheduled with a short break (10 minutes) in between the second and third case. The Court prefers that visitors be seated in the courtroom before oral arguments begin. If visitors arrive during an oral argument, security personnel will determine the best break to escort visitors into the courtroom.

Read the Visitor Guide to Observing Oral Arguments for more information.

Read the list of Prohibited Items at the courthouse.

Front Entrance Screening
Visitors pass through a screening device upon entering the building and adults will be asked to present a driver license. 

Cell Phones
Cell phones are not permitted in the courtroom and will need to be checked at the main entrance security checkpoint.

Laptops and Tablets
Laptops and tablets are permitted in the courtroom so long as they are set to silent mode. Anyone attending oral arguments with a device that makes noise will be asked to leave. 

Courtroom Capacity
The courtroom accommodates up to 165 visitors on a first come, first served basis and once that capacity has been reached, visitors will be directed to overflow rooms to watch oral arguments on television. Special procedures and restrictions may be imposed in very high-profile cases that result in a demand for courtroom seating or other access beyond normal capacity.

*If you need an ADA accommodation to attend arguments due to a disability, please review our ADA Information Page so you can make your ADA accommodation request in advance.