Petitions
Track Supreme Court petitions — relisted cases, upcoming conferences, and CVSG invitations.
Active Petitions We're Watching
128Unlock Expanded Petitions to Watch
Every relisted case, the next conference list, our key picks, and each pending CVSG — with the question presented, the filing history for each case, and much more, updated as the case progresses.
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This category consists of petitions that the justices will consider at the next conference that we believe have a decent chance of being granted (usually after being relisted at least once). The factors that we consider in deciding whether to include a petition on this list include the importance and potential impact of the question presented by the petition, whether the courts of appeals appear to be divided on that question, whether the case appears to be a good candidate for the court's review (there are not procedural issues or irregularities), and whether there are "friend of the court" briefs filed in support of the petition.
This category consists of petitions which have not been scheduled to be considered at the next conference, but which we believe (for the same reasons as the list of "Petitions We're Watching for the Next Conference") have a decent chance of eventually being granted. Please note that we review petitions in the order in which they've been filed. The fact that a petition is not listed does not necessarily mean we will not list it in the future.
This category consists of petitions that have already been considered at one or more conferences, after which the court asked the federal government for its views on what the court should do with the petition – often because a federal law or interest is involved. This process, during which the petitions effectively remain on hold, can take several months: after the court calls for the solicitor general's views (known as a "CVSG"), the litigants have the chance to meet with lawyers from the U.S. solicitor general's office to try to convince them that the government should support their side. After also consulting with other departments and agencies in the federal government that may have an interest in the case, the solicitor general then files a brief in which it recommends either that the court either grant or deny review. The federal government's recommendation normally carries significant, although not dispositive, weight with the justices.