Supreme Court Joint Appendix Checklist

Pilots are required to learn and use checklists for every aspect of flight, from preparing for take-off to dealing with equipment malfunction. It was a checklist that helped Captain Chelsey “Sully” Sullenberger and co-pilot Jeffery Skiles safely land their US Airways flight in the Hudson River after the plane’s engines were damaged by a flock of geese.

Checklists are part of the foundation of our company and critical to our success. We use them to communicate a variety of information, from work goals and project objectives to our ability to get more than 1,200 briefs docketed each year. Here now – the fourth entry in our six-part series – is our Joint Appendix Checklist:

Cover

Docket No.
In the Supreme Court of the United States
Who v. Who
On Writ of Certiorari … from the appropriate lower court
Title of Document (“Joint Appendix”)
Names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and party represented for each counsel of record
Petition for Certiorari Filed Date
Certiorari Granted Date

Showing the parts of the record that the Joint Appendix contains, in the order in which the parts are set out, with references to pages of the Joint Appendix at which each part begins
The Table of Contents must also list the opinions and orders originally printed in the Petition, noting that those items are not reproduced in this Joint Appendix

Relevant Docket Entries

You should excise down to the most relevant entries instead of reproducing the dockets in their entirety

In Chronological Order (Rule 26)

Any relevant pleadings, jury instructions, findings, conclusions, or opinions
The opinion, judgment, or order under Supreme Court review
Any other relevant parts of the record below
Note: Any of the foregoing items already reproduced in a Petition for Writ of Certiorari, Jurisdictional Statement, Brief in Opposition, Motion to Dismiss or Affirm, or any Appendix to the foregoing, need not be reproduced again in the Joint Appendix
Exhibits designated for inclusion in the Joint Appendix (maps, charts, graphs, etc.) may be reproduced in a separate volume or volumes suitably indexed

Special Formatting Notes

Each document must have the name of the issuing court or agency, the title and case number, and the date of entry
Jurats, certificates, or affidavits of service may be omitted with an appropriate parenthetical note printed in their stead
The Original Complaint and the Amended Complaint are the only lower court briefing that can be reproduced in a Joint Appendix
When testimony contained in the reporter’s transcript of proceedings is set out in a Joint Appendix, the page of the transcript at which the testimony appears shall be indicated in brackets immediately before the statement is set out
If the Petition for Writ of Certiorari was granted in forma pauperis, the parties must reproduce all of the opinions and orders that were originally appended to the Petition
When the Joint Appendix is filed, the Petitioner or Appellant immediately shall file with the Clerk a statement of the cost of printing 50 copies, and shall serve a copy of such statement on each of the other parties as required by Rule 29

Due Date: A Joint Appendix must be filed within 45 days after entry of the order granting the Writ of Certiorari, noting probable jurisdiction, or postponing consideration of jurisdiction

Cover: Tan, 65-pound cover stockWord Limit/Page Limit: None

Method of Filing: Filing means the actual receipt of documents by the Clerk; or their deposit in the United States mail, with first-class postage prepaid, on or before the final date allowed for filing; or their delivery to a third-party commercial carrier, on or before the final date allowed for filing, for delivery to the Clerk within three calendar days

How to Schedule with Cockle: We recommend doing this as soon as your Petition has been granted, as our schedule fills up quickly. If you are filing a document in the Supreme Court or have questions about our process and pricing, give us a call at (800) 225-6964 or email [email protected]