- certiorari
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cer·tio·ra·ri /ˌsər-shē-ə-'rar-ē, ˌsər-shə-, -'rär-/ n [Medieval Latin certiorari ( volumus ) (we wish) to be informed (words used in the Latin texts of such writs)]: an extraordinary writ issued by a superior court (as the Supreme Court) to call up the records of a particular case from an inferior judicial body (as a Court of Appeals) see also the judicial system in the back matter compare appeal◇ Certiorari is one of the two ways to have a case from a U.S. Court of Appeals reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court. Certification is the other. The Supreme Court may also use certiorari to review a decision by a state's highest court when there is a question as to the validity of a federal treaty or statute, or of a state statute on constitutional grounds. Certiorari is also used within state court systems.
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.
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noun
appeal to a higher court, application for retrial, course of law, legal procedure, legal process
Burton's Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006
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n.A writ issued by an appellate court to a lower court requesting the official record of a decision made by the lower court so that the appellate court can review it for errors.
The Essential Law Dictionary. — Sphinx Publishing, An imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. Amy Hackney Blackwell. 2008.
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formerly a writ, now a statutory order made to transfer a cause from a lower court to a higher court. It is used as a means of allowing the High Court to regulate lower courts and tribunals.
Collins dictionary of law. W. J. Stewart. 2001.
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(sersh-oh-rar-ee) Latin for "to be fully informed." In cases in which there is no appeal as a matter of right, certiorari is a writ (order) by the appeals court to a lower court to send all the documents in a case so that the appeals court can review the decision. Certiorari is most commonly used by the United States Supreme Court, which grants certiorari when at least four Justices believe that the case involves a sufficiently significant federal issue.Category: Small Claims Court & Lawsuits
Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary. Gerald N. Hill, Kathleen Thompson Hill. 2009.
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n. Latin To be more fully informed. A writ issued at the discretion of an appellate court directing a lower court to certify and deliver the record of a case that is not appealable as of right to the appellate court for possible review.See also appeal, writ of error.
Webster's New World Law Dictionary. Susan Ellis Wild. 2000.
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(Latin: To be informed of.)At common law, an original writ or order issued by the Chancery or King's Bench, commanding officers of inferior courts to submit the record of a cause pending before them to give the party more certain and speedy justice.A writ that a superior appellate court issues in its discretion to an inferior court, ordering it to produce a certified record of a particular case it has tried, in order to determine whether any irregularities or errors occurred that justify review of the case.A device by which the Supreme Court of the United States exercises its discretion in selecting the cases it will review.
Dictionary from West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005.
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I
[Latin, To be informed of.] At common law, an original writ or order issued by the Chancery or King's Bench, commanding officers of inferior courts to submit the record of a cause pending before them to give the party more certain and speedy justice.A writ that a superior appellate court issues in its discretion to an inferior court, ordering it to produce a certified record of a particular case it has tried, in order to determine whether any irregularities or errors occurred that justify review of the case.A device by which the supreme court of the united states exercises its discretion in selecting the cases it will review.II A writ of review issued by a higher court to a lower court. A means of getting an appellate court to review a lower court's decision. If an appellate court grants a writ of certiorari, it agrees to take the appeal. (Sometimes referred to as "granting cert.") III A writ of review or inquiry; to be made more certain.
Short Dictionary of (mostly American) Legal Terms and Abbreviations.
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n.[sersh-oh-rare-ee]a writ (order) of a higher court to a lower court to send all the documents in a case to it so the higher court can review the lower court's decision. Certiorari is most commonly used by the U.S. Supreme Court, which is selective about which cases it will hear on appeal. To appeal to the Supreme Court one applies to the Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari, which it grants at its discretion and only when at least three members believe that the case involves a sufficiently significant federal question in the public interest. By denying such a writ the Supreme Court says it will let the lower court decision stand, particularly if it conforms to accepted precedents (previously decided cases).
Law dictionary. EdwART. 2013.
