U.S. Supreme Court · Petitions
Petition for a Writ of Certiorari
Asks the Supreme Court to review a lower-court judgment.
Filed by: Petitioner
Not yet verified. Compiled from the national rules and not yet verified by a reviewing attorney. The national rules are amended each December 1, and local rules, standing orders and judges' practices add to them. Confirm with the current rules before filing. This is not legal advice.
What it must include
- Questions presented (Rule 14.1(a))
- List of parties and related proceedings (Rule 14.1(b))
- Corporate disclosure statement where required (Rule 29.6)
- Tables of contents and authorities
- Citations of the opinions below
- Statement of the basis for jurisdiction
- Constitutional provisions, statutes and rules involved
- Concise statement of the case
- Reasons for granting the petition
- Appendix with the opinions, orders and judgments below (Rule 14.1(i))
- Certificate of compliance with the word limit (Rule 33.1(h))
- Proof of service (Rule 29)
Deadline and length
Deadline: Within 90 days after entry of the judgment, or of the order denying a timely rehearing petition (Rule 13.1, 13.3).
Length: 9,000 words in booklet format (Rule 33.1(g)).
Governing rules
- Sup. Ct. R. 10
- Sup. Ct. R. 13
- Sup. Ct. R. 14
- Sup. Ct. R. 33
Check the local rules for
- Booklet printing specifications and cover color (Rule 33.1)
- Electronic-filing requirements (Rule 29.7)
Applies in the U.S. Supreme Court. Find your court for its local requirements.
Other petitions
Draft this filing in DraftAria.
Court-formatted template with this checklist built in, and brackets where your matter details go.