Federal Judicial Center -- 2004
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        Section III-C  Trial Schedule

        C  Trial Schedule

C    Trial Schedule

A number of judges conducted their capital trials on a less-than-full-time schedule. For example, several judges ran the trial from 9 to 5 four days a week, and held no trial proceedings on the fifth day. Although some judges do this as a matter of course in any long trial, other judges pointed out aspects of a death-penalty case that make taking a day off even more justified. For example, some cited the emotional toll that such cases take on everyone involved, including the attorneys, judge, and jurors. Having a day off, they reasoned, helped to alleviate some of this tension. In addition, as one judge pointed out, the defense attorneys in these cases are frequently sole practitioners and running the trial five days a week puts an extreme burden on their practices.