Blog

The Supreme Court receives roughly seven thousand petitions each term but hears argument in only about sixty cases. The main door is a petition for a ...

Stare decisis, Latin for to stand by things decided, is the doctrine that precedent binds future courts. The Supreme Court follows its own precedents ...

Five votes to four is the narrowest possible majority, and it has decided some of the most consequential cases in American history. Lochner entrenched...

Amicus curiae means friend of the court. Amicus briefs are filed by non-parties who believe a case affects their interests, and they have become centr...

The Constitution lets presidents nominate justices with Senate advice and consent, and confirmations have been political from the start. The Senate re...

The shadow docket is the growing volume of orders the Court issues without full briefing, oral argument, or signed opinions, from emergency stays to a...