1. Supreme Court at Work

2. They meet . . .
First Monday in October thru June

3. To Accept a Case . . 4 justices must agree “granting cert”
Writ of Certiorari

4. Writ of Certiori . . Order (writ) for Judicial Review
sent from higher court to lower one
Turn over case documents

5. How many are accepted?
Approx 100

6. Briefs Legal arguments filed months before court date
Explaining each side’s legal position

7. Amicus Briefs “Friend of the Court” Briefs Form of “judicial lobbying”
ACLU, NAACP, NRA, etc

8. Arguments
Day of Arguments
30 minutes per side
Q & A with justices

9. Solicitor General
The USA’s lawyer
Argues on behalf of the country

10. Conferences
Meet privately with each other to discuss and vote on case

11. Opinions Majority Opinion – decision of the court
Dissenting Opinion – decision of the minority why they disagree

12. Precedents Standard for future cases Has the effect of law
Stare decisis – determining law according to precedence

13. Read the Writ of Certatori for the Cleveland Indians v. U. S. case
Read the Writ of Certatori for the Cleveland Indians v. U.S. case. Answer these questions
What is a Writ of Certatori?
Which Circuit Court issued the Writ?
Which Court would the case have originated in? Why?

14. Ricci v. DeStefano

15. McDonald v. Chicago

16. Schwarzenegger v. Entertainment Merchants

17. FCC v. FOX TV Stations

18. Ontario, CA v. Quon

19. Snyder v. Phelps