During the active term of the Court, the Justices sit in a private conference every week or so to consider which petitions to grant, to review Supreme Court briefs, and to issue orders on pending motions. In these conferences, they also decide whether or not to grant certain petitioners in forma pauperis (IFP) status. Petitioners [...]
At Cockle Legal Briefs, we work with quite a few non-lawyers who are looking for tips to help them when writing a legal brief. Occasionally our conversations with our pro se customers move beyond the necessary formatting and content requirements for a Supreme Court brief, and into more basic questions of legal writing. Over time, [...]
At Cockle Legal Briefs, we work with quite a few non-lawyers who are looking for legal writing tips to help them draft a stronger petition for the U.S. Supreme Court. Occasionally our conversations with our pro se customers move beyond the necessary formatting and content requirements for a Supreme Court brief, and into more basic [...]
At Cockle Legal Briefs, we work with quite a few non-lawyers who are figuring out how to write a legal brief for the U.S. Supreme Court. Occasionally our conversations with our pro se customers move beyond the necessary formatting and content requirements for a Supreme Court brief, and into more basic questions of legal writing. [...]
When confronted with a Petition for Writ of Certiorari filed in the United States Supreme Court, some attorneys will play the odds and let the Court deal with a Petition without even filing a Brief in Opposition. A Respondent may choose to waive the right to oppose a Petition that seems clearly without merit. This [...]
At Cockle Legal Briefs, we work with quite a few non-lawyers who are writing a legal brief for the U.S. Supreme Court. Occasionally our conversations with pro se customers move beyond the necessary formatting and content requirements for a Supreme Court brief, and into more basic questions of legal writing. Over time, we have come [...]
At Cockle Legal Briefs, we work with quite a few non-lawyers filing a petition for writ of certiorari in the U.S. Supreme Court. Occasionally our conversations with our pro se customers move beyond the necessary formatting and content requirements for a Supreme Court brief, and into more basic questions of legal writing. Over time, we [...]
Supreme Court Rule 33.1 sets out the requirements for the legal brief format. Subpart (b) of that Rule provides very specific directions for the font: Supreme Court booklet briefs must be typeset in a Century family type. Why so specific? Century is a fairly common font, but it is not as universal as, say, Times [...]
Supreme Court Rule 37.2 discusses the requirements for filing an amicus curiae brief at the petition stage. Merits-stage amicus curiae briefs are covered in Rule 37.3. One important distinction between petition- and merits-stage amicus curiae brief filings is that petition-stage amici must give the parties notice of their intention to file at least ten days [...]
How to write a legal brief. Putting together the Appendix of your Brief can be confusing. This blog will offer an easy-to-follow outline of what to include and how to gather the information. Some documents—like Petitions—have required Appendix elements. Appendix documents cannot simply be photocopied, but must be typeset to the same standards as a [...]