I find it curious that the Federal Circuit only publishes the names of its panel members on the morning of an oral argument. Some of the other circuit courts of appeal publish the names of the panel members far longer in advance. For example, the Tenth Circuit has already published panel membership for arguments two weeks in the future: [Link]. If I recall correctly, the Federal Circuit experimented with a longer notification period; but, eventually, the court resumed its previous and now current practice.
It would be interesting to see a short article that compares the various circuits and the amount of notification given to the parties about the composition of a panel. What seems implicit in the Federal Circuit’s short lead time is the notion that the court is so badly fractured that advocates will focus their arguments to cater to the particular panel members. One benefit I see to a longer lead time is that an advocate would probably know how much technical explanation would be required during oral argument depending on the composition of the panel. For example, a panel comprised of Judges Hughes, Dyk, and Reyna might need more technical background on an electronics case than would Judges Moore, Stoll, and Linn (some of the EE judges).