“We often refer to the Supreme Court as a “hot bench”: Questions fly fast and furious from all the justices, often allowing the lawyers to get out only a few sentences (if that many) before fielding the next question. However, the bench that heard today’s oral argument in Howell v. Howell, a dispute over military retirement pay in a divorce, was more lukewarm than hot. Advocates for both sides had plenty of extended opportunities to speak – so much so that Adam Unikowsky, representing petitioner John Howell, only used a little more than half of his allotted 30 minutes during the main part of his argument. The relatively sparse questioning from the justices was no doubt welcomed by the advocates, but it made it much harder to predict how the justices might ultimately resolve the case.”  The full article can be found here: http://www.scotusblog.com/2017/03/argument-analysis-quiet-bench-means-signals-military-divorce-case/