U.S. Supreme Court
Joan and Irwin Jacobs Supreme Court Docket
All Cases
16 Supreme Court Cases during the 2011 Term
Mayo Collaborative Services v. Prometheus Laboratories
Mayo Collaborative Services v. Prometheus Laboratories
Douglas v. Independent Living Center
Racial Justice
Douglas v. Independent Living Center
Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Hosanna-Tabor Evangelical Lutheran Church and School v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Lafler v. Cooper and Missouri v. Frye
Criminal Law Reform
Lafler v. Cooper and Missouri v. Frye
Florence v. Board of Chosen Freeholders of the County of Burlington
Prisoners' Rights
Florence v. Board of Chosen Freeholders of the County of Burlington
How Do Terms Work?
Between October and late June or early July the Supreme Court is βin session,β meaning it hears oral arguments, issues written decisions, and decides whether to take additional cases.
Submitting petitions
Our legal team at the ACLU files a cert petition to the U.S. Supreme Court, a type of petition that usually argues that a lower court has incorrectly decided an important question of law that violates civil rights and should be fixed to prevent similar confusion in similar cases.
U.S. Supreme Court decides to take a case
On average, the Court considers about 7,000 β 8,000 petitions each term and accepts about 80 for oral argument.
Oral arguments
This is the period where the U.S. Supreme Court listens to our case in court.
U.S. Supreme Court makes final decisions
While the U.S. Supreme Court makes decisions throughout the term, many are released right before the term ends. If a decision doesn't go in our favor, we fight back!
By completing this form, I agree to receive occasional emails per the terms of the ACLU's privacy statement.