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Definition of "certiorari" [cer•ti•o•ra•ri]

  • A writ from a higher court to a lower one requesting a transcript of the proceedings of a case for review. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "certiorari" in a sentence
  • "The SCOTUS has discretionary power to take a case so a denial of certiorari is an implicit affirmation of the lower court rulings."
  • "The 8th Circuit's decision on the Federal Partial Birth Abortion statute, on which the Supreme Court has accepted certiorari, is a far better vehicle for undermining the doctrinal foundations of Roe and Casey through a series of doctrinal distinctions."
  • "A petition for writ of certiorari is currently before the U.S."