Sotomayor Emerges as the Court’s Most Prolific Questioner

Nobody expected her to be a wallflower, but Justice Sotomayor has exceeded expectations when it comes to questioning lawyers during oral arguments. In a report issued by the National Law Journal, Sotomayor came out on top in the number of questions asked so far this term with 146. Chief Justice Roberts followed with 110 questions.

According to the NLJ, the Court as a whole has become more talkative in recent years, with the number of questions and interruptions steadily increasing – for all except Justice Thomas, who hasn’t asked a question since 2006.