The companion editorial on this page reflects on a Third Circuit initiative to make oral argument meaningful. In the District of New Jersey and in many New Jersey trial courts, oral argument for substantive motions remains elusive and in many cases a mystery.

We don't know exactly how or why it broke down—and it certainly has been exacerbated by judge shortages and the pandemic—but oral argument, once the heart of any serious litigation, is slowly fading away into oblivion.