Where and when are hearings held, and are they open to the public?

Evidentiary hearings are held by the Administrative Law Judges in hearing rooms located in the Commission’s building in Washington, D.C. The dates of such hearings are usually set forth in a procedural schedule issued by the Judge early in the investigation, and if a hearing is rescheduled, the Judge will normally issue an order with the new dates. While the length and timing of hearings varies from case to case, in an investigation scheduled to be completed in twelve months, for example, the evidentiary hearing would likely occur about five or six months after institution of the investigation.

Hearings are generally open to the public, except for those portions which involve confidential business information as defined in the Commission’s Rules. During those portions of a hearing, members of the general public and others who are not allowed access to confidential information must step outside the hearing room while such information is presented or discussed. The amount of confidential information varies from investigation to investigation.

A verbatim transcript of all hearings is taken. Copies of the public portions of these transcripts are available for inspection in the Office of the Secretary of the Commission, and are available for purchase from the official reporter.