CCL President Robert S. Peck passed along advice from a federal circuit judge to "Answer the Question" in his biweekly posting on the Appellate Practice Blog today.

     The advice came from Fifth Circuit Judge James Earl Graves, Jr. on November 13 during the 2021 Summit of the Appellate Judges Education Institute. Judge Graves lamented the fact that, too often, oral advocates are so determined to make their point that they fail to answer the judges' questions. Because it is the judges who will decide the case, answering the question is critically important, even when the question indicates confusion on the questioner's part.