A plaintiff or defendant in a federal court case (or in a state court case where a Federal Constitutional issue is in dispute ) who wants to appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States may ask for a writ of certiorari. The U.S. Supreme Court is obligated to take certain cases on appeal (for example, capital murder cases) but has discretion to take or not take certain others. The writ of certiorari is the Supreme Court's written agreement to take one of those discretionary cases on appeal.
Chat with our AI personalities
Anyone who has lost a case in the United States Court of Appeals or the supreme court of a state, and who believes that they have a constitutional issue that needs to be resolved by the Supreme Court.
The US Supreme Court sessions are open to the general public, who are seated on a first come-first served basis.
In keeping with tradition, the US Supreme Court justices wear black robes over their street clothes.
The correct name is the Supreme Court of the United States, but most people refer to it as the US Supreme Court. Each state has its own Supreme Court, but the US Supreme Court is the end of the line.
The US Supreme Court is the highest court in the US. Each state has its own Supreme Court, but the US Supreme Court is the end of the line.
The Supreme Court hears any cases that involve the interpretation of the Constitution.
Public arguments