Abstract The Supreme Court has wide discretion to choose the cases it will decide. But how does the Court exercise this discretion? The Supreme Court’s rules explain that it may hear any case “important” enough for it to decide. Unsurprisingly, commentators have criticized this standard as “hopelessly indeterminate” and “intentionally vague.” The Court, however, has said more about how it decides whether to grant review. We need simply to look to its merits opinions. These decisions sometimes offer a brief, informative description of the decision to grant review. These oft-overlooked statements may, in aggregate, be suggestive of trends in the Court’s agenda-setting discretion. This Article presents a text and data analysis of thousands of Supreme Court opinions describing the reason for granting review, collectively illuminating which cases are important enough to merit certiorari. This view into certiorari helps reveal which cases earn the Court’s attention and how the Court’s priorities change over time. This analysis finds, for example, that the Court’s docket shifts in response to large events (e.g., depressions and wars) and to significant political developments (e.g., landmark legislation). And, perhaps more concerning, individual appointments also shape the Court’s docket. The Court should thus better explain its decisions to grant review in the mode of a common law of certiorari. Doing so can improve the interbranch dialogue over judicial reform, offer better information to litigants, and instill greater confidence in our Supreme Court. Show
Journal Information Founded in 1901, the Columbia Law Review is a leader in legal scholarship in the United States and around the world. The Review is an independent nonprofit corporation edited and published entirely by students at Columbia Law School. Published eight times a year, the Review is the third most widely distributed and cited law review in the country, receiving close to 1,500 submissions yearly from which approximately 25 manuscripts are chosen for publication. Publisher Information The Columbia Law Review is one of the world’s leading publications of legal scholarship. Founded in 1901, the Review is an independent nonprofit corporation that produces a law journal edited and published entirely by students at Columbia Law School. Rights & Usage This item is part of a JSTOR Collection. Chapter Study OutlineIntroduction Courts serve the essential functions of arbitrating disputes in society and interpreting the Constitution and the laws. The American judiciary is an independent institution that also serves the separation of powers function of checking Congress and the president. Throughout American history, the judiciary has settled constitutional crises, helped protect the rights and liberties of the American people (including noncitizens), and helped promote the American economy by ensuring liberty. Although the Supreme Court’s constitutional powers are relatively meager, its authority emanates from its ability to interpret the Constitution and laws. Independent but inherently political, the American judiciary has expanded its agenda and its power throughout American history. 1. The Judicial Process What types of cases does the American judiciary hear and decide? How does it proceed and render its decisions?
2. The Organization of the Court System What types of courts constitute the federal judiciary? How are those various courts organized and what are their responsibilities? How are justices and judges selected?
3. How Courts Work as Political Institutions Treating judges as political actors and the judiciary as an important political institution, what functions do federal courts perform?
4. The Power of Judicial Review What is judicial review? How and when was it established? How frequently and in what way is it used in contemporary American politics?
5. The Supreme Court in Action What is the process by which cases reach the Supreme Court? How is the flow of cases determined? What procedures does the court employ to prepare, hear, and decide on cases?
6. Judicial Decision Making How does the Supreme Court make its decisions? How does it interact with Congress, the president, and the executive branch in the separation of powers framework? How might we consider these interactions as strategic behavior on the part of the Supreme Court?
7. The Expanding Power of the Judiciary How has the power of the judiciary changed over time? What are the traditional limitations on the federal courts? How did the courts seek to overcome these limitations in the twentieth century?
How does the Supreme Court use the writ of certiorari?Writs of Certiorari
The primary means to petition the court for review is to ask it to grant a writ of certiorari. This is a request that the Supreme Court order a lower court to send up the record of the case for review.
Which kind of case would not be granted certiorari under Rule 10 of the Rules of the Supreme Court of the United States?A petition for a writ of certiorari is rarely granted when the asserted error consists of erroneous factual findings or the misapplication of a properly stated rule of law.
What type of case is the Supreme Court of the United States most likely to hear?Most common—roughly two-thirds of the total—are requests for review of decisions of federal appellate or district courts. The great majority of cases reach the Supreme Court through its granting of petitions for writs of certiorari, from the Latin certiorari volumnus, “we wish to be informed.”
When a party files a writ of certiorari to the US Supreme Court how many Justices must vote to hear the case for it to be accepted for review?If the full Court acts on an application, five Justices must agree in order for the Court to grant a stay, but the votes of only four Justices are required to grant certiorari.
What are the most common routes by which a case reaches the Supreme Court?Appeals From Courts of Appeals Decisions
By far the most common way cases reach the Supreme Court is as an appeal to a decision issued by one of the U.S. Courts of Appeal that sit below the Supreme Court. The 94 federal judicial districts are divided into 12 regional circuits, each of which has a court of appeals.
Which of the following is a power of the president to check the Supreme Court quizlet?Judicial review is outlined in Article III of the Constitution. It provides the president a means of checking the power of the Supreme Court.
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