# Sup. Ct. R. 10: Rule 10. Considerations Governing Review on Certiorari

> Federal · Court rules · In force

URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/FRULES_SCT_R10

## Section

- **Citation:** Sup. Ct. R. 10
- **Heading:** Rule 10. Considerations Governing Review on Certiorari
- **Jurisdiction:** Federal
- **Kind:** Court rules
- **Status:** In force
- **Text as of:** August 14, 2026
- **Source:** Compiled text
- **Location:** Rules of the Supreme Court of the United States > Rule 10

## Text

Review on a writ of certiorari is not a matter of right, but of judicial discretion. A petition for a writ of certiorari will be granted only for compelling reasons. The following, although neither controlling nor fully measuring the Court’s discretion, indicate the character of the reasons the Court considers: (a) a United States court of appeals has entered a decision in confict with the decision of another United States court of appeals on the same important matter; has decided an important federal question in a way that conficts with a decision by a state court of last resort; or has so far departed from the accepted and usual course of judicial proceedings, or sanctioned such a departure by a lower court, as to call for an exercise of this Court’s supervisory power; (b) a state court of last resort has decided an important federal question in a way that conficts with the decision of another state court of last resort or of a United States court of appeals; (c) a state court or a United States court of appeals has decided an important question of federal law that has not been, but should be, settled by this Court, or has decided an important federal question in a way that conficts with relevant decisions of this Court. A petition for a writ of certiorari is rarely granted when the asserted error consists of erroneous factual fndings or the misapplication of a properly stated rule of law.

## Nearby sections

- [Sup. Ct. R. 1 Rule 1. Clerk](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/FRULES_SCT_R1.md)
- [Sup. Ct. R. 2 Rule 2. Library](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/FRULES_SCT_R2.md)
- [Sup. Ct. R. 3 Rule 3. Term](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/FRULES_SCT_R3.md)
- [Sup. Ct. R. 4 Rule 4. Sessions and Quorum](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/FRULES_SCT_R4.md)
- [Sup. Ct. R. 5 Rule 5. Admission to the Bar](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/FRULES_SCT_R5.md)
- [Sup. Ct. R. 6 Rule 6. Argument Pro Hac Vice](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/FRULES_SCT_R6.md)
- [Sup. Ct. R. 7 Rule 7. Prohibition Against Practice](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/FRULES_SCT_R7.md)
- [Sup. Ct. R. 8 Rule 8. Disbarment and Disciplinary Action](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/FRULES_SCT_R8.md)
- [Sup. Ct. R. 9 Rule 9. Appearance of Counsel](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/FRULES_SCT_R9.md)
- [Sup. Ct. R. 10 Rule 10. Considerations Governing Review on Certiorari](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/FRULES_SCT_R10.md)
- [Sup. Ct. R. 11 Rule 11. Certiorari to a United States Court of Appeals](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/FRULES_SCT_R11.md)
- [Sup. Ct. R. 12 Rule 12. Review on Certiorari: How Sought; Parties](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/FRULES_SCT_R12.md)
- [Sup. Ct. R. 13 Rule 13. Review on Certiorari: Time for Petitioning](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/FRULES_SCT_R13.md)
- [Sup. Ct. R. 14 Rule 14. Content of a Petition for a Writ of Certiorari](https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/FRULES_SCT_R14.md)

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Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/statutes/FRULES_SCT_R10. Check the current official text before relying on it. Not legal advice.