<Dl> <Dd> The rules direct what information must be included in a brief, describe the size of paper and type of print, and limit the number of pages . Even the colors of the covers of the briefs are specified: the petitioner's brief must have a blue cover and the respondent's must have a red cover . The Court also often receives briefs from amici curiae (friends of the Court) in particular cases, and these must have a green cover . This color - coding comes in very handy when you have a stack of eight or ten briefs in a particular case and can locate the brief you want by its color without having to read the covers of each . </Dd> </Dl> <Dd> The rules direct what information must be included in a brief, describe the size of paper and type of print, and limit the number of pages . Even the colors of the covers of the briefs are specified: the petitioner's brief must have a blue cover and the respondent's must have a red cover . The Court also often receives briefs from amici curiae (friends of the Court) in particular cases, and these must have a green cover . This color - coding comes in very handy when you have a stack of eight or ten briefs in a particular case and can locate the brief you want by its color without having to read the covers of each . </Dd> <P> Thereafter, if the Court chooses to hold a hearing, each side has thirty minutes to present its case orally . In exceptional and controversial cases, however, the time limit may be extended . In the Court's early years, attorneys might argue a single case for hours or even days; but as the judicial workload increased, the time available for argument has been restricted . The late Chief Justice Rehnquist was noted for his especially strict enforcement of the argument time limits . </P> <P> To file pleadings or to argue a case, an attorney must be a member of the bar of the Court . (The primary requirement for admission to the Bar is that the attorney must have been admitted to practice in the highest court of a state or territory for at least the past three years .) Justices are allowed to interrupt the attorney speaking in order to ask him or her questions, and particularly since the arrival of Justice Antonin Scalia in 1986, do so often . </P>

How do cases reach the supreme court and what factors influence whether cases are heard