The articles of a German stock corporation may allow the chair of the shareholders’ meeting to limit how long shareholders speak and ask questions. In 2010 the Federal Court of Justice upheld such a clause. Under it, the chair may limit speaking time so that the meeting lasts no longer than six hours when only routine items are voted on, and no longer than ten hours otherwise. Each contribution may be limited to 15 minutes, or to 10 minutes if at least three more speakers are waiting. At 22:30 the chair may close the debate. The court explained the timing. In the legislator’s view, an ordinary meeting should be completed in four to six hours. And a meeting called for one day, the court added, regelmäßig um Mitternacht des Einberufungstages beendet sein sollte, should as a rule be finished by midnight of that day.