Cert

Definition

Short for 'certiorari'—a petition requesting that a higher court (usually the Supreme Court) review a lower court's decision. It's basically asking the Supreme Court 'please look at this.'

Example Usage

The defendant filed a petition for cert, hoping the Supreme Court would overturn the circuit court's decision.

Origin

From Latin 'certiorari' meaning 'to be informed'

Fun Fact

The Supreme Court receives thousands of cert petitions annually but grants review to only about 70-80 cases per year.

Source: Appellate procedure and Supreme Court practice

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