In a single-judge case, may the argument be heard without any written preparation, and what must still be prepared in writing?
General information · Not legal advice
Material to check
In a practice file of this kind, we read the papers showing whether the case is assigned to a single judge or to a panel, the written statements each side has filed before the hearing, and the record of oral argument, which shows what each party was able to say.
These are types of material to look for, not evidence already verified by PRO SE.
Where readings differ
One reading takes the first sentence as a general permission: in a single-judge case the argument need not be prepared in writing at all, so a party may come to the hearing and state its case orally, having filed no written statements beforehand.
Another reading starts from the proviso: where the opposing party cannot make a statement about a matter unless it has been written in advance, that matter falls outside the permission, so written preparation is needed for it, and the provision leaves open what falls within that description and when the point is raised.
Your judgment
Which matters in this file could the opposing party not have spoken to unless they had been set out in writing beforehand?
PRO SE does not make this decision or keep a case record on this public site.When to reconsider
We revisit this card if the provision is amended to change the scope of the single-judge exception or its proviso, or if a court decision explains when a matter is one the opposing party cannot state without written preparation.