Although amici often ask the court to allow split arguments – so that they can use part of the half-hour allotted to a party to present their own arguments – these requests are rarely accepted if they come from private groups. In Lyon v. Animal House Zoo, however, the court (as is often the case) granted the Attorney General`s request to share the arguments. Since the U.S. Attorney General will argue on behalf of the accused, she (or another lawyer in her office) will use ten minutes of the half-hour allotted to the zoo. Once the applications for certiorari have been processed, the judges begin to discuss the cases that have been heard since their last conference. According to the Supreme Court transcript, all judges have the opportunity to express their views on the case and to express questions or concerns. Each judge speaks about the others without interruption. The Chief Justice makes the first statement, then each judge speaks in descending order of seniority and ends with the lowest judge – the one who has served the fewest years on the court.

« Justice is rarely done when it is done hastily. While we all want the Supreme Court to make decisions on the important cases it hears as quickly as possible, neither the Court`s opinions nor their timelines should be influenced by public opinion. Much of the considerable and arduous work of the Supreme Court is done by the clerks. These talented law school graduates number three dozen each year and end up writing the majority of opinions that come out of the court. Drafting and editing is an extremely lengthy process that is done in collaboration with the judges, so it is a process of weeks and months, given the depth of the analysis and the back and forth that must occur in the processing phases. Dissatisfied with the trial court`s decision, Mr. Lyon appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit, one of thirteen federal courts of appeals that hear appeals from federal district courts. A panel of three randomly appointed judges reviewed the case and upheld the district court`s decision that the zoo cannot be held accountable for its actions because, in publishing the results of the audit, it had simply been trying to fulfill its obligation not to discriminate under the Civil Rights Act. The Supreme Court hears cases differently from criminal or civil trials that are usually depicted on television.

The judges meet twice a week for a private conference, and part of one of these weekly conferences is devoted to discussing potential cases and deciding which ones to accept. At least four of the nine judges must vote « yes » to a case to make the cut. Selected cases receive a writ of certiorari, a formal request from the Supreme Court for a review of the lower court`s decision. The Registrar of the Supreme Court is the official of the court responsible for auditing documents submitted to the court and keeping its records. This person has been in office since 1789 with congressional authorization and can be removed by order of the Supreme Court. While the Supreme Court can review the entire case in the case, Mr. Lyon and the zoo agreed that it would be helpful for the judges to have easy access to the exam results, so they decided to file a joint appendix with this material. (If Mr.

Lyon and the zoo had agreed that a common annex was not necessary, they could have filed an application asking the court for permission not to prepare one.) Whoever loses the case will have to pay for the printing of the common annex, so it is in Mr. Lyon`s interest and the zoo to keep it as short as possible. The common annex is presented at the same time as Mr. Lyon`s letter of merit. Lord. Lyon is suing his employer, Animal House Zoo, because he believes the zoo violated his rights under the Civil Rights Act and the U.S. Constitution. He begins his action by filing it before the Federal District Court, the court of first instance competent to hear federal cases in the territory where he lives and works. After hearing arguments and testimony from Mr. Lyon and the zoo, the District Court ruled that the zoo had not violated Mr. Lyon`s rights. There is no fixed timeline for how quickly a statement is issued after closing arguments, but the final deadline for issuing opinions is late June or early July, when the Supreme Court takes a summer break.

As a standard practice, the author of the majority opinion reads a summary of the judicial opinion and then the full document is published on the Supreme Court`s website. The Constitution provides that the Supreme Court has jurisdiction in the first instance and on appeal. Jurisdiction at first instance means that the Supreme Court is the first and only court to hear a case. The Constitution limits initial jurisdiction to cases involving disputes between states or disputes between ambassadors and other high-ranking ministers. Appellate jurisdiction means that the court has the power to review decisions of lower courts. Most cases heard by the Supreme Court are appeals by lower courts. The designated judges then draft and circulate notices explaining the reasons for their decision. The time it takes to complete an advisory opinion depends on several factors, including the division of judges, the judge writing the opinion, and the court`s timeline. Generally, all cases are decided when the court takes a summer break in late June or early July.

The Constitution of the United States establishes the Supreme Court. In 1789, Congress passed the Judiciary Act, and the court formally met for the first time in 1790. The Supreme Court consists of the Chief Justice of the United States and the « number of associate justices as may be determined by Congress. » Since the mid-1800s, there have been nine associate judges. The President of the United States appoints judges, and appointments are confirmed by the Council and approved by the U.S. Senate. Before the hearing, other court cases are dealt with. These include the publication on Monday morning of a list of orders, a public report on judicial proceedings, including the acceptance and rejection of cases, and the admission of new members to the judicial chamber. Observations are normally published on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings and on the third Monday of each sitting when the Court occupies the Chamber, but no arguments are heard.