Question Presented

/Tag: Question Presented
7 May, 2020

Writing Your Question Presented

2020-05-07T13:06:30-05:00May 7th, 2020|Tags: , , , |

  “I have always been much better at asking questions than knowing what the answers were.” – Bill James, baseball historian There may be no more daunting task in all Supreme Court practice than distilling a 9,000-word cert. petition down to one or two questions presented. This level of difficulty should come as no surprise—only the [...]

24 Apr, 2018

Formulating the Question Presented

2019-03-18T18:47:12-05:00April 24th, 2018|Tags: , , , , |

 “I have always been much better at asking questions than knowing what the answers were.” – Bill James, baseball historian There may be no more daunting task in all Supreme Court practice than distilling a 9,000 word cert. petition down to one or two questions presented. This level of difficulty should come as no surprise—only the [...]

9 Apr, 2018

Pointed QPs

2018-04-09T15:55:58-05:00April 9th, 2018|Tags: , , , , |

  “Brevity is the soul of wit.” ― William Shakespeare The questions presented page is assuredly the most important element of a Supreme Court petition.  Justices can reject an entire case based on review of the questions alone.  Rule 14.1 provides that they should be “expressed concisely in relation to the circumstances of the case, [...]

7 Jun, 2016

Brevity and the Supreme Court Question Presented

2019-03-18T18:47:21-05:00June 7th, 2016|Tags: , , , , |

  “Clarity of thought is a must for brevity in speech.” ― Somali K. Chakrabarti The questions presented page is assuredly the most important element of a Supreme Court petition.  Justices can reject an entire case based on review of the questions alone.  Rule 14.1 provides that they should be “expressed concisely in relation to [...]

5 Jun, 2014

What NOT To Do In Your Questions Presented

2019-03-18T18:47:36-05:00June 5th, 2014|Tags: , , , , , , |

When filing a Petition for Writ of Certiorari to the United States Supreme Court, the Questions Presented section is the first item that the Justices and their law clerks view. Because the Court’s certiorari jurisdiction, though sweeping in scope, is exercised sparingly, a well-crafted Questions Presented is of paramount importance in persuading the Court to [...]

20 May, 2014

The Importance of the Questions Presented

2019-03-18T18:47:38-05:00May 20th, 2014|Tags: , , , , , , |

When filing a Petition for Writ of Certiorari to the United States Supreme Court, the Questions Presented section is the first item that the Justices and their law clerks view. Because the Court’s certiorari jurisdiction, though sweeping in scope, is exercised sparingly, a well-crafted Questions Presented is of paramount importance in persuading the Court to [...]