This is a request that the Supreme Court order a lower court to send up the record of the case for review. In fact, the Court accepts of the more than 7, cases that it is asked to review each year.
Typically, the Court hears cases that have been decided in either an appropriate U. Court of Appeals or the highest Court in a given state if the state court decided a Constitutional issue. The Supreme Court has its own set of rules. According to these rules, four of the nine Justices must vote to accept a case. Five of the nine Justices must vote in order to grant a stay, e. Under certain instances, one Justice may grant a stay pending review by the entire Court. Each Justice is permitted to have between three and four law clerks per Court term.
These are individuals who, fairly recently, graduated from law school, typically, at the top of their class from the best schools. Often, they have served a year or more as a law clerk for a federal judge. Among other things, they do legal research that assists Justices in deciding what cases to accept; help to prepare questions that the Justice may ask during oral arguments; and assist with the drafting of opinions.
The participating Justices divide their petitions among their law clerks. The law clerks, in turn, read the petitions assigned to them, write a brief memorandum about the case, and make a recommendation as to whether the case should be accepted or not. The Justice provides these memoranda and recommendations to the other Justices at a Justices' Conference. If the Justices decide to accept a case grant a petition for certiorari , the case is placed on the docket.
After the petitioner's brief has been filed, the other party, known as the respondent, is given a certain amount of time to file a respondent's brief. This brief is also not to exceed 50 pages. After the initial petitions have been filed, the petitioner and respondent are permitted to file briefs of a shorter length that respond to the other party's respective position.
If not directly involved in the case, the U. Government, represented by the Solicitor General, can file a brief on behalf of the government. With the permission of the Court, groups that do not have a direct stake in the outcome of the case, but are nevertheless interested in it, may file what is known as an amicus curiae Latin for "friend of the court" brief providing their own arguments and recommendations for how the case should be decided.
By law, the U. Supreme Court's term begins on the first Monday in October and goes through the Sunday before the first Monday in October of the following year.
The Court hears oral arguments in cases from October through April. From October through December, arguments are heard during the first two weeks of each month. From January through April, arguments are heard on the last two weeks of each month.
During each two-week session, oral arguments are heard on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays only unless the Court directs otherwise. Oral arguments are open to the public. Typically, two cases are heard each day, beginning at 10 a. Each case is allotted an hour for arguments. During this time, lawyers for each party have a half hour to make their best legal case to the Justices.
Most of this time, however, is spent answering the Justices' questions. The Justices tend to view oral arguments not as a forum for the lawyers to rehash the merits of the case as found in their briefs, but for answering any questions that the Justices may have developed while reading their briefs. The Solicitor General usually argues cases in which the U. These include:. Criminal proceedings can be conducted under either state or federal law, depending on the nature and extent of the crime.
A criminal legal procedure typically begins with an arrest by a law enforcement officer. If a grand jury chooses to deliver an indictment, the accused will appear before a judge and be formally charged with a crime, at which time he or she may enter a plea. The defendant is given time to review all the evidence in the case and to build a legal argument. Then, the case is brought to trial and decided by a jury.
If the defendant is determined to be not guilty of the crime, the charges are dismissed. Otherwise, the judge determines the sentence, which can include prison time, a fine, or even execution. Civil cases are similar to criminal ones, but instead of arbitrating between the state and a person or organization, they deal with disputes between individuals or organizations. If a party believes that it has been wronged, it can file suit in civil court to attempt to have that wrong remedied through an order to cease and desist, alter behavior, or award monetary damages.
After the suit is filed and evidence is gathered and presented by both sides, a trial proceeds as in a criminal case. If the parties involved waive their right to a jury trial, the case can be decided by a judge; otherwise, the case is decided and damages awarded by a jury.
After a criminal or civil case is tried, it may be appealed to a higher court — a federal court of appeals or state appellate court. A litigant who files an appeal, known as an "appellant," must show that the trial court or administrative agency made a legal error that affected the outcome of the case.
An appellate court makes its decision based on the record of the case established by the trial court or agency — it does not receive additional evidence or hear witnesses. It may also review the factual findings of the trial court or agency, but typically may only overturn a trial outcome on factual grounds if the findings were "clearly erroneous. Federal appeals are decided by panels of three judges. The appellant presents legal arguments to the panel, in a written document called a "brief.
On the other hand, the party defending against the appeal, known as the "appellee" or "respondent," tries in its brief to show why the trial court decision was correct, or why any errors made by the trial court are not significant enough to affect the outcome of the case. The court of appeals usually has the final word in the case, unless it sends the case back to the trial court for additional proceedings. In some cases the decision may be reviewed en banc — that is, by a larger group of judges of the court of appeals for the circuit.
A litigant who loses in a federal court of appeals, or in the highest court of a state, may file a petition for a "writ of certiorari," which is a document asking the Supreme Court to review the case. The Supreme Court, however, is not obligated to grant review.
The decision also took account of the fact that the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council also sits in the building and it is the final court of appeal for some countries that are Republics. However, a version of the Royal Coat of Arms is installed above the entrance to the building and a historic version is also on the ceiling of the Library. The UKSC's official emblem is formed by a heraldic representation of the flowers of the four countries of the United Kingdom, surrounded by a motif representing both Libra for justice and Omega for finality.
This version of our emblem is used on all formal correspondence, judgments, reports, Justices' stationery, formal invitations etc. It also forms part of our official seal, which is used by the Registry when sealing all documents and is the main identifying feature at the entrance to the building. In common with many organisations, the UKSC adopts a range of versions of the emblem depending on the context. Further details about the design of the emblem can be found in our New Artwork section of this website.
But professional users can contact the Registry via e-mail registry supremecourt. Other enquiries can be sent to enquiries supremecourt. Please see our How to find us section for details of our location and travel information. We can provide large print and Braille versions of our key visitor leaflet for you to use during your visit. We also offer tours specifically designed for those with visual impairments. Please email Enquiries for more information and to book onto a tour. The UKSC also has Braille notices on the toilet doors and our website has also met the required standards for text size and undergone independent auditing to ensure use of good practice in web accessibility.
When the courts are in session, members of the public are more than welcome to sit in the public gallery the rows of benches at the back of the courtrooms , provided they turn off their mobile phones.
If you do not wish to watch a hearing or there are none occurring during your visit, then you are more than welcome to walk around the building and see the courtrooms not currently in use, as well as explore our educational exhibition which is situated on the lower ground floor. However, its doors are opened to the public on Open House London weekend and selected other dates, which are advertised on the front page of this website.
Photography is allowed inside the UKSC but not in any of the courtrooms which are in session or prepared for hearings that day. There is a break at lunchtime from to However, if you are present in a courtroom where the hand-down of a judgment is taking place normally Wednesday mornings at we ask that you remain in the courtroom for the duration of the hand-down normally around 15 minutes.
Not really, other than those relating to the use of cameras covered elsewhere on this page. It is customary to stand and bow to the Justices whenever they enter and leave the courtroom. Please also note that items of clothing or other materials bearing messages that undermine the dignity of the court or which seek to interfere with the proper administration of justice will not be permitted into the building.
Photography is not allowed in courtrooms which are in session or prepared for hearings that day. Further details can be found in our Policy on the use of live, text-based communications from Court on this website.
Visitors can pick up case summaries for the appeals being heard on the day of their visit from the Reception Desk. The UKSC has a cafe on the lower ground floor, which serves a range of hot and cold food and drinks. Please contact our Security team. More information can be found in our lost property policy on this website. There is a disabled toilet on the lower ground floor, which also has baby changing facilities.
A range of souvenirs can be purchased from the cafe on the lower ground floor of the building. Please see the Shop section of this website for more information. They offer an introduction to the creation and work of the Court and discuss some of our cases.
Please see. Please see the visits for schools, colleges and universities. However, those interested can download an audio guide of the outside of the building which highlights its rich architectural features. For more information please see the audio tour of exterior section of this website.
For more information, and for details of our temporary summer exhibitions, please see the Exhibition - what's on section of this website. We have a quiz sheet aimed at 5 to 10 year olds, which they can complete while exploring the building.
Older children may be interested in the interactive educational exhibition on the lower ground floor. As you will appreciate, the Justices spend the bulk of their time in the building sitting in court, preparing for cases and writing judgments, so they are rarely available to address visiting groups. If the information you require is not available through our Publication Scheme you may send your request to :.
Remember that the FOI Act gives you the right to ask for recorded information held by public authorities, and if it is held, to be provided with that information, subject to certain exemptions.
Court records, for example, are exempt from disclosure under section The FOI Act does not give the right to seek opinions, legal interpretation or explanations.
If you wish to apply for access to your personal data, known as a "subject access request" under the Data Protection Act, please refer to the relevant part of our Publication Scheme. The UKSC does not provide a legal information or advice service.
Registry staff can only advise on procedural matters in relation to the cases which come before it. Please note that members of the public have received fraudulent e-mails using the UK Supreme Court's name, address and telephone number. This describes the courts by which your case must have already been heard before you can apply for permission to appeal to the UKSC. In certain circumstances, yes. However, the UKSC does not make decisions about whether or not legal aid should be granted to parties though it may determine the amount of costs to be paid by parties following a hearing.
Your legal professional will be able to advise on the process for seeking such aid, the system for which is co-ordinated by the Legal Aid Agency for England and Wales, other bodies are responsible in Scotland and Northern Ireland. You should contact the Court of Appeal, or the court you wish to appeal from, which will provide you with the required letter.
Details of fees payable can be found via the Fees and costs page of this website. Applications for permission to appeal take approximately eight sitting weeks to be determined. Please see the Term dates page of this website for details. Please visit the Court sittings section of this website for the dates and times of forthcoming cases.
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