Detailed informatiopetition for writ of certiorarin on the substance of a Petition for Writ of Certiorari, including the order in which required items are to appear, can be found in Supreme Court Rule 14.1.

Per Rule 14.1, “A petition for writ of certiorari shall contain, in the order indicated:”
Questions Presented

“The questions presented for review, expressed concisely in relation to the circumstances of the case, without unnecessary detail….Only the questions set out in the petition, or fairly included therein, will be considered by the Court.” Rule 14.1(a)

List Of Parties/Corporate Disclosure Statement

“A list of all parties to the proceeding in the court whose judgment is sought to be reviewed (unless the caption of the case contains the names of all the parties), and a corporate disclosure statement as required by Rule 29.6.” Rule 14.1(b)

Table Of Contents And Table Of Authorities

“If the petition prepared under Rule 33.1 exceeds 1,500 words…a table of contents and a table of cited authorities. The table of contents shall include the items contained in the appendix.” Rule 14.1(c)

Opinions Below

“Citations of the official and unofficial reports of the opinions and orders entered in the case by courts or administrative agencies.” Rule 14.1(d)

Statement Of Jurisdiction

“A concise statement of the basis for jurisdiction in this Court, showing:

  • (i) the date the judgment or order sought to be reviewed was entered;
  • (ii) the date of any order respecting rehearing, and the date and terms of any order granting an extension of time to file the petition for a writ of certiorari;
  • (iii) express reliance on Rule 12.5, when a cross-petition for a writ of certiorari is filed under that Rule, and the date of docketing of the petition for a writ of certiorari in connection with which the cross-petition is filed;
  • (iv) the statutory provision believed to confer on this Court jurisdiction to review on a writ of certiorari the judgment or order in question; and
  • (v) if applicable, a statement that the notifications required by Rule 29.4(b) or (c) have been made.” Rule 14.1(e)
Constitutional And/Or Statutory Provisions Involved

“The constitutional provisions, treaties, statutes, ordinances, and regulations involved in the case, set out verbatim with appropriate citation. If the provisions involved are lengthy, their citation alone suffices at this point, and their pertinent text shall be set out in the appendix referred to in subparagraph 1(i).” Rule 14.1(f)

Statement Of The Case

“A concise statement of the case setting out the facts material to consideration of the questions presented….” Rule 14.1 (g)

Argument/Reasons For Granting The Writ

“A direct and concise argument amplifying the reasons relied on for allowance of the writ.” Rule 14.1(h)

Conclusion

The conclusion typically makes an entirely straightforward request: “The petition for writ of certiorari should be granted.”

The requirements for producing a rule-compliant Supreme Court brief can be both difficult to understand and difficult to comply with. At Cockle Legal Briefs, we are the experts when it comes to the Court’s intricate filing rules. We will save you time and effort, and more than that, our proofing will guarantee compliance as well as find any other problems in the original copy. Contact us when you are preparing your next brief and take advantage of our 91 years of experience in preparing legal briefs for submission to the United States Supreme Court.