Q: What is the meaning of the word "oyez"?
The Oyez Project takes its name from the phrase by which the Marshal of the Court calls the courtroom to order. Oyez is pronounced "o-yay" or "o-yez" or "o-yes." It is used three times in succession to introduce the opening of a court of law. The origin of the word "Oyez" is Middle English, from Anglo-Norman, hear ye, the plural imperative of oyer, to hear, which derives from the Latin verb, audire, to hear.
The history of "Oyez" is illuminating. "Hearing the cry 'Oyez, Oyez, Oyez' (Listen here) in a courtroom may have puzzled more than one auditor, especially if pronounced 'o-yes.' This cry serves to remind us that up until the 18th century, speaking English in a British court of law was not required and that one could use Law French, a form of French that evolved after the Norman Conquest, when Anglo-Norman became the language of the official class in England. Oyez descends from the Anglo-Norman Oyez, the plural imperative of oyer, 'to hear'; thus Oyez means 'hear ye' and was used as a call for silence and attention. Although it would have been much heard in Medieval England, it is first recorded as an English word fairly late in the Middle English period, in a work composed around 1425."
SOURCE: American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language
Q: Is the use of the word Oyez covered by a trademark?
Yes. Oyez is a trademarked term, like Nike or iPod or Macintosh. So respect its use and be prepared to include the registered trademark symbol (R) when using it. For licensing terms, contact license [at] oyez.org.
Q: Are there restrictions on the use of Oyez media?
Yes. We indicate terms of use for Oyez media on the website but here's an explanation. The Court audio is expensive to obtain and requires a substantial amount of engineering to make it useful. The fact that the audio itself is not protected by copyright only means that anyone is free to obtain a copy from the National Archives and do what he or she wishes with it. The effort and expense to extract this material from it source and make it useful means that some conditions apply to its use.
Oyez audio is covered by a Creative Commons license. The terms of the Creative Commons license are generous. The audio can be used without charge for non-commercial purposes. If you are a commercial (that is, profit-making) entity, you are required to secure a license or waiver from The Oyez Project. (license [at] oyez.org). For non-commercial purposes, you must also provide attribution for the audio, which means that should you use it in a project or performance or research paper or PowerPoint, you must indicate that you obtained the audio from The Oyez Project and provide the web address (http://www.oyez.org). Finally, the license specifies a share-alike requirement. This means that should you create a derivative work using Oyez audio, you must provide it to others on the same terms it was provided to you: non-commercial use, attribution, share-alike.
Commercial licensing enables us to recoup some expenses so that we can obtain more media to share with the public and to provide for sufficient bandwidth and hardware replacement. Our aim is to maintain The Oyez Project as a free resource.
Q: What tools do I need to use materials from The Oyez Project?
To take full advantage of Oyez media, you will need two plug-ins for your browser: Flash and QuickTime. The Oyez Project contains more than 3000 hours of audio materials delivered as streamed and downloadable mp3s. The streamed audio version uses a player built on Adobe Flash, a free plug-in. The Project also contains dozens of panoramic images of the Supreme Court Building. To view these images in the Tour section, you will need to download and install QuickTime.
Q: How may I contact the justices?
The justices do not have published email addresses. You can write to:
The Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court Building
Washington DC 20543
Q: I am looking for a case and I cannot find an abstract in The Oyez Project?
There are many reasons why you may not find a case abstract in The Oyez Project. The Project provides abstracts for only a portion of cases decided by the Supreme Court of the United States. We have provided abstracts, audio and other materials when we have it, and we do provide links to opinions in every case decided by the Court back to 1793.
If you come across a case that you believe should be abstracted and included in The Oyez Project, please contact us with your proposed abstract so we can edit and add it to the archive. We shall provide credit for your work by posting your name with the abstract you prepared.
Q: What is the salary of a Supreme Court justice?
The salary of the justices is set by congressional statute and is subject to adjustment from time to time. As of January 1, 2006, the salary of members of the Court is as follows:
Chief Justice - $212,100
Associate Justices - $203,000
There are other perks with the job: use of the dining room and the gymnasium - including a full basketball court -- which sits atop the courtroom.
Q: Is it possible to attend an actual oral argument at the Supreme Court?
Yes. You should determine whether or not the Court will be hearing arguments during the period when you plan to be in Washington DC. The Oyez Project calendar provides details on upcoming arguments.
Q: Is this entire audio collection available through iTunes?
Yes, we provide a link to our "New Media Releases" podcast feed through the iTunes Store, and we provide links to other iTunes podcast feeds throughout our website. Every podcast feed you subscribe to is automatically updated as we digitize more recordings from the National Archives and obtain fresh batches of audio from the Court.
For example, you can subscribe to all available audio for 2005 Term cases or First Amendment Campaign Spending cases by simply clicking the 'iTunes' button on each of those pages.
Q: How do I download selected arguments of a podcast again through iTunes, without re-subscribing to the podcast?
If one or more of your copies of the recordings from one of our podcasts have become lost, corrupted, or out-of-date, it is possible to force iTunes to re-download those specific recordings without resorting to the more drastic and time-consuming process of unsubscribing and resubscribing to the entire podcast.
In iTunes, click on Podcasts, find the desired podcast, click the small triangle next to the podcast to display all the recordings within the podcast, and then delete the missing or invalid recordings by selecting them and pressing the 'delete' key. If iTunes asks whether to keep or delete the selected file, choose delete. Next, collapse the series by clicking the triangle again, and then expand it again while holding the 'option' key on a Mac OS machine or the 'shift' key on a Windows machine.
After a brief delay, all recordings should re-appear in the podcast series, allowing you to click the 'Get' button for each recording that you want to download again.
Q: Where can I find transcripts of the arguments to read while listening?
For selected cases argued before 1979, and for nearly all cases argued after 1979, we provide unofficial versions of the transcripts on our website, along with the audio whenever available.
Official transcripts are public documents stored in the Supreme Court library and in the National Archives of the United States. Starting with the 2006 Term, the Supreme Court website now provides PDF versions of the transcripts within a few hours of the close of arguments.
Q: Why is it sometimes difficult to hear the questions asked by the justices?
No. Your computer is probably fine. The problem lies in the original recordings. The justices control their microphones and sometimes they do not turn them on when they ask questions of counsel.
Q: Why can't I find a recent oral argument on this website?
The Supreme Court releases all its audio materials to the National Archives in October following the Term in which cases were argued. The National Archives must accession the audio materials and make copies for use by research archivists. This process takes a few months. Since the Court is now recording its sessions digitally, it is likely that the time from accessing the files to releasing the files for duplication should take a few weeks rather than a few months.
Q: The Court has released some audio on the same day a case was argued. Why this exception?
Beginning in December 2000, the Supreme Court allowed exceptions to its audio release policy when heightened public interest warranted same-day release. These are not simultaneous (i.e., live) feeds from the courtroom. Rather, they are delayed releases at the end of oral argument. The Court has taken this action in only a handful of cases since 2000. It is not responsive to public requests for additional releases and seems to follow its own compass as the audio it shall expedite for release. If you share the view that the Court should make its public sessions more accessible, you should write Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr. at the following address:
Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court Building
Washington DC 20543
Note: Though the justices have and use email, they do not release these addresses to the public.
Q: I am an attorney who argued in the Supreme Court. How can I add more information about myself?
You may submit details about yourself and the cases you've argued here.
Please note that although this is a free service, donations are much appreciated.
Q: Where can I find a glossary of specialized legal terms?
Here.
