In America, the Supreme Court is known for its lengthy oral arguments.
Lawyers for both sides can spend hours arguing the merits of their case, which becomes a costly time suck for all involved.
But, not in the European Union.
Things are about to get a whole lot quieter in courts across the pond.
The European Court of Justice began enforcing new rules Wednesday that require lawyers to show why oral arguments are actually necessary before they're allowed to speak in court, The Wall Street Journal's Law Blog reported Thursday.
The court is facing an unprecedented backlog of cases. It took on 688 new cases last year, about 100 more than it was hearing five years ago. The EU's top court hopes the new rule will speed things up, according to Bloomberg.
But some lawyers worry these new rules will curb the justice actually being done in court.
“It’s better to hear the concerns of your judge during a hearing and have an opportunity to explain things than discovering in the judgment that there was a misunderstanding,” Brussels-based lawyer Denis Waelbroeck told Bloomberg.
Another lawyer said the top court is ditching the most important part of the case.
“Speaking as a common lawyer, a hearing is the most crucial part of the process,” London-based lawyer Robert O’Donoghue said. “Looking at the papers cold only gets one so far.”
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