Definition
A writ from a higher court agreeing to review a lower court's decision, most famously used when the Supreme Court decides your case is interesting enough to warrant their attention. It's the legal equivalent of getting picked from the audience.
Example Usage
We filed a petition for certiorari with the Supreme Court, though statistically we have about a 1% chance of them actually taking the case.
Origin
Latin for 'to be informed' or 'to be made certain'
Fun Fact
The Supreme Court receives about 7,000-8,000 certiorari petitions annually but only hears around 100-150 cases, making it more selective than Harvard.
Source: Common appellate procedure terminology
Related Terms
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