Final answer:
The Supreme Court's sitting involves public meetings every two weeks where cases are announced, decisions made, and oral arguments heard. With a detailed and selective process for case review, decisions set precedents and can influence or reflect public opinion on critical legal issues.
Step-by-step explanation:
A two-week block of time during which the Supreme Court meets publicly to announce cases accepted for review, hand down decisions, and hear oral arguments is known as a sitting. Justices generally hold oral arguments from October to April on Mondays through Wednesdays, in two-week cycles. During the intervening weeks, they dedicate time to writing opinions, reviewing briefs for upcoming cases, and deciding on cases to be heard in future sessions. Attorneys have a thirty-minute limit to present arguments during a sitting, where they may be interrupted with questions from the justices.
The Court also meets in a private conference to make decisions on cases after oral arguments are concluded. The Chief Justice will write the majority opinion or assign the task if they are in the majority. If the Chief Justice is in the minority, the most senior justice in the majority decides who writes the opinion. The decisions of the Supreme Court, whether unanimous or divided, set precedents for future legal interpretations and can greatly influence public opinion and policy.
Despite thousands of petitioners seeking the Court's review each year, fewer than 2 percent of these requests are granted. The selection process is highly selective and outcomes are eagerly awaited by the public, media, and legal community, especially when controversial or landmark decisions, like Brown v. Board of Education or Roe v. Wade, are announced. The Court's presence and decisions are a powerful influence on law and society, operating as 'a constitutional convention in continuous session.'