Writ of certiorari

The Supreme Court decides which cases to take through a process known as certiorari, sometimes abbreviated as “cert”. The Justices of the Court review every case appealed to the Supreme Court. If four or more Justices decide that the Supreme Court should issue an opinion on the case, the Supreme Court issues a writ of certiorari, or “grants cert”. If the Supreme Court decides not to hear the case, it “denies cert”. If the Supreme Court grants certiorari, the Justices will hear oral argument and issue a decision. If the Supreme Court denies certiorari, the opinion of the circuit court stands.