Supreme Court Review Of Court Of Appeals cases

Courtroom doors
Temple of Justice Olympia, Washington

After the Court of Appeals has decided a case, the losing party can file a Petition for Review asking the Supreme Court to hear the case and reverse the Court of Appeals. Of all the petitions for review, the Supreme Court will only accept about 5 to 15% of the cases decided by the Court of Appeals. This means that the Court of Appeals decision is the only appeal in most cases.

If the Supreme Court accepts review, the parties have the opportunity to file another brief, called a supplemental brief, and then the Supreme Court will hear oral argument.

All nine justices of the Supreme Court hear every case reviewed by the court. Like the Court of Appeals judges, they ask questions during the oral argument, then vote on the decision and write an opinion resolving the case.