cert-petition

name	cert-petition
title	Petition for Writ of Certiorari
description	Drafts a Petition for Writ of Certiorari to the U.S. Supreme Court under Rules 10, 13, 14, and 33. Enforces Rule 10 criteria (circuit splits, precedent conflicts, important federal questions), jurisdictional verification under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1254/1257, timeliness, document structure, and booklet formatting. Use when seeking discretionary Supreme Court review, filing a cert petition, or drafting a writ of certiorari.
author	CaseMark
author_url	https://github.com/CaseMark/skills/tree/main/skills/legal/cert-petition
license	Apache-2.0
version	0.1.0
execution_mode	open
jurisdiction	us
practice	litigation
language	en

Petition for Writ of Certiorari

Drafts a Supreme Court cert petition establishing grounds for discretionary review. Enforces Rules 10, 13, 14, and 33.

Prerequisites

1. Lower court opinions/orders — all decisions including rehearing orders
2. Record materials — key pleadings, evidentiary materials for appendix
3. Conflicting authorities (if circuit split) — decisions from other circuits/state courts on the same question
4. Governing legal provisions — constitutional, statutory, or regulatory text at issue
5. Procedural timeline — judgment date, rehearing denial date, any extensions (Rule 13 deadline)

Quick Start

1. Verify jurisdiction (§ 1254 or § 1257) and calculate 90-day Rule 13 deadline
2. Draft 1–3 questions presented — single-sentence, framing legal principle, answerable yes/no
3. Build Rule 10 argument (split, precedent conflict, or important federal question)
4. Assess vehicle suitability — clean facts, no alternative grounds, no procedural barriers
5. Assemble appendix in reverse chronological order
6. Run compliance checks below

Document Order (Rule 14)

Section	Requirements
Cover	White. Caption, case number, lower court ID, full title, party designations, counsel of record with contact
Questions Presented	1–3 questions; single-sentence; legal principle, not case facts
Parties & Corporate Disclosure	Rule 29.6: parent companies and 10%+ stockholders, or "none" statement
Table of Contents	All sections with page numbers
Table of Authorities	Cases (asterisk primaries), statutes, constitutional provisions, regulations — alphabetical within category
Constitutional/Statutory Provisions	Verbatim text central to questions; lengthy text in appendix
Statement of the Case	(1) Procedural history with dates; (2) Facts with record cites; (3) Lower court reasoning, holding, dissents
Reasons for Granting the Writ	Core persuasive section organized by Rule 10 criteria