Terms and Sittings
Hearings of the Supreme Court take place exclusively in the Supreme Court building in Ottawa. The Court sits three times a year for three months at a time starting in January, April, and October. Every two weeks that the Court sits is followed by a two week break making for a total of 18 weeks a year of hearings. The Mondays are often reserved for hearing motions regarding ongoing appeals. The remaining days of the week the Court is used for hearings. The Court will hear one or two cases a day beginning at 9:30 a.m.
Quorum of the Court requires five Justices, but most cases are heard by a panel of seven or nine Justices. The Chief Justice presides over each hearing, except when away, in which case the next most senior judge will take over the Chief Justice's role.
Hearings are taped for delayed telecast in both of Canada's official languages and are often aired on CPAC on Saturdays. The court's hearings are open to the public except for certain sensitive cases where a sealing order is enacted. There are three rows of benches reserved for public seating, which are generally taken on a first-come first-serve basis except where it is reserved by counsel or parties in the appeal.
Read more about this topic: Procedures Of The Supreme Court Of Canada
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