The Supreme Court grants certiorari (grants review) to most of the requests for review it receives from lower courts.
options:
True
False
The correct answer and explanation is:
False.
The Supreme Court of the United States does not grant certiorari to most of the requests it receives for review. In fact, it grants certiorari to a small percentage of cases. The Court typically receives thousands of petitions for certiorari each term, but it only grants review to a limited number of cases, usually around 100 to 150 cases per year. This selective process allows the Court to focus on cases that have national significance, address important constitutional issues, resolve conflicts among lower courts, or clarify legal principles that have broader implications.
The process for granting certiorari involves several steps. A party seeking to have its case reviewed by the Supreme Court submits a petition for certiorari. The Justices then review the petition and the lower court’s opinion, and they decide whether to grant review. The decision to grant certiorari is made through the “rule of four,” meaning that at least four of the nine Justices must agree to hear the case. If fewer than four Justices agree, the petition is denied, and the lower court’s decision stands.
The Supreme Court’s decision to hear a case is often influenced by factors such as the significance of the legal issues, the potential to correct a lower court’s error, and the opportunity to provide clarity on unresolved legal questions. The Court’s limited docket ensures that it can devote sufficient time and resources to the most important and complex cases. This selectivity also reflects the Court’s role as a constitutional interpreter, rather than a court of general jurisdiction. As such, the Court is highly selective in its certiorari decisions.