| 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
- Lower court opinions/orders — all decisions including rehearing orders
- Record materials — key pleadings, evidentiary materials for appendix
- Conflicting authorities (if circuit split) — decisions from other circuits/state courts on the same question
- Governing legal provisions — constitutional, statutory, or regulatory text at issue
- Procedural timeline — judgment date, rehearing denial date, any extensions (Rule 13 deadline)
Quick Start
- Verify jurisdiction (§ 1254 or § 1257) and calculate 90-day Rule 13 deadline
- Draft 1–3 questions presented — single-sentence, framing legal principle, answerable yes/no
- Build Rule 10 argument (split, precedent conflict, or important federal question)
- Assess vehicle suitability — clean facts, no alternative grounds, no procedural barriers
- Assemble appendix in reverse chronological order
- 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 |
