The Court calendar begins in September of each year and ends in June of the following year. Beginning in September the Court meets for five-day sessions every seven weeks until the completion of the June docket. All sessions are held in Richmond. Between each session there is a six-week recess. During these recesses, the justices conduct extensive legal research upon the cases awaiting decision, draft and review opinions, study cases in which petitions for appeal have been filed, conduct hearings on petitions for appeal, and attend to administrative duties.
| The Chief Justice is seated in the center with the justice next in seniority on his right, the justice third in seniority on his left, and so on in alternating order such that the newest justice is seated on the far left. |
Sessions are held in the Courtroom of the Supreme Court with the justices being seated on the bench in order of seniority.
Attorneys for both sides are usually allowed fifteen minutes each to present their arguments. The justices often interrupt the attorneys to ask questions on some issue in the case. During a typical session of the Court, the justices hear oral arguments each morning and convene that afternoon for a private discussion of the cases heard that morning.