WHAT HAPPENS AFTER ORAL ARGUMENTS?
Following oral arguments, the justice assigned to write the Court’s decision in the case prepares a proposed written opinion and circulates it to the other six justices for their review and approval. If this opinion gets the approval of a majority of the justices, the opinion is considered as having been “passed” and becomes the official decision of the Louisiana Supreme Court. If, however, the proposed opinion does not get a majority vote of the justices, the opinion is reassigned to one of the other justices who must then write another proposed opinion. This process continues until such time as a majority of the justices will sign on, resulting in the official decision of the Louisiana Supreme Court. A decision is usually rendered by the Supreme Court approximately six weeks after oral argument.
