Editing Roe v. Wade (section)

===Oral argument===
As she began speaking for the oral argument, Sarah Weddington was unaware that the Court had decided to hear the case to decide which courts had jurisdiction to hear it rather than as an attempt to overturn abortion laws in a broad ruling. She began by bringing up constitutional reasons why the Court should overturn Texas's abortion law, but Justice Stewart asked questions directed towards the jurisdiction question instead. Weddington replied that she saw no problem with jurisdiction and continued to talk about a [[Constitutional right#United States|constitutional right]] to abortion.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=ofbhHLhOhH8C&dq=%22In+one+case%2C+Sarah+Weddington%2C+a+poised%22&pg=PT265 The Brethren: Inside the Supreme Court] by Bob Woodward and Scott Armstrong, New York: Simon and Schuster, page 1979, page 265</ref> Overall, she spent between 20 and 30 minutes discussing jurisdiction and procedure instead of constitutional issues.<ref name=forsythe98/>

In his opening argument in defense of the abortion restrictions, attorney Jay Floyd made what was later described as the "worst joke in legal history".<ref name="salon">Sant, Geoffrey. "[http://www.salon.com/2013/07/26/8_horrible_courtroom_jokes_and_their_ensuing_legal_calamity 8 horrible courtroom jokes and their ensuing legal calamities]", ''Salon.com'' (July 27, 2013): "The title of Worst Joke in Legal History belongs to one of history's highest-profile cases. Defending Texas's abortion restrictions before the Supreme Court, attorney Mr. Jay Floyd decided to open oral argument with a [[Sexism#Sexist jokes|sexist joke]]." Retrieved August 10, 2010.</ref> Appearing against two female lawyers, Floyd began, "Mr. Chief Justice and may it please the Court. It's an old joke, but [[when a man argues against two beautiful ladies like this, they are going to have the last word]]." His remark was met with cold silence; abortion rights lawyer [[Margie Pitts Hames]] thought that Chief Justice Burger "was going to come right off the bench at him. He glared him down."{{sfnmp|Malphurs|2010|1p=48|Garrow|1994|2p=526}}

McCorvey did not attend either of the oral arguments along with her two lawyers. After talking McCorvey out of getting an illegal abortion and getting her name signed on an affidavit for the [[lawsuit]], Weddington did not speak again with McCorvey until four months after ''Roe'' was decided.<ref>''[https://digitalcommons.slc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1033&context=womenshistory_etd Jane Roe Gone Rogue: Norma McCorvey's Transformation as a Symbol of the U.S. Abortion Debate]'' by Christianna K. Barnard, MA thesis, Sarah Lawrence College, May 2018, pages 20–21, (pages 38–39 of the pdf) and [https://books.google.com/books?id=Dj2CAlbeX8UC&pg=PT36 Won by Love: Norma McCorvey, Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade, Speaks Out for the Unborn as She Shares Her New Conviction For Life] by Norma McCorvey and Gary Thomas, Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, 1997, Chapter 5, The Shadow Plaintiff pages 36–37</ref>