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Former Chief Justice William Rehnquist noted in his book The Supreme Court that there
are four “species” of poor advocates:
The “lector” who simply reads his argument
The “debating champion” who has a strong grasp of the case but fails to listen and
properly answer questions
The “Casey Jones” who knows the cases but tends to race ahead without “pick[ing]
up passengers along the way
The “spell-binder” who relies on rhetoric rather than careful analysis
In order to avoid becoming one of these poor advocates (or something equally bad),
here are a few do’s and don’ts for your oral arguments: