Certiorari - An order or writ from a higher court demanding that a lower court send up the record of a case for review. Except for a few instances of original jurisdiction, most cases that reach the Supreme Court do so because the Court itself has issued such a writ, or has granted certiorari. If certiorari is denied by the Court, it means that the justices are content to let the lower court's decision stand. Frequently, a U.S. court of appeals case citation will include "cert.denied," meaning that certiorari has been denied by the Supreme Court, which has reviewed the case to the extent that it has made a judgment not to review the case further. It takes the votes of four justices to grant certiorari. However, at least five votes are normally needed for a majority opinion on the substance of a case.
Source - American Government & Politics, Harper Collins Dictionary - Jay M. Shafritz-1993
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