Rule of four
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article relates to the legal term. For the 2004 novel, see The Rule of Four
The rule of four is a Supreme Court of the United States practice that permits four of the nine justices to grant a writ of certiorari. This is done specifically to prevent a majority of the court from controlling all the cases it agrees to hear.
The rule of four is not required by the Constitution, any law, or even the Supreme Court's own published rules. Rather, it is a custom that has been observed since the Court was given discretion over which appeals to hear by the Judiciary Acts of 1891 and 1925.
