When must a party file an ordinary Supreme Court certiorari petition?

Supreme Court Rule 13.1 ordinarily allows ninety days after entry of the relevant court-of-appeals or state-court-of-last-resort judgment. For a lower state-court judgment subject to discretionary review, it uses entry of the order denying that review. Rule 13.3 uses judgment entry rather than mandate issuance and separately addresses qualifying rehearing. Establish the actual review route before selecting the event.

Responsible actor. The party petitioning the Supreme Court for a writ of certiorari.

Identify the qualifying judgment or state discretionary-review denial and its entry.

Check the lower-court rehearing record and any actual extension granted to this petitioner.

Verify the Supreme Court calendar, filing method, required paper copies and separate service.

An ordinary certiorari petition uses a ninety-day period once the proper judgment or state review-denial event is established. Mandate issuance is a different act. This guide supplies no automatic date or paid calculation. Check qualifying rehearing, any law providing otherwise, actual granted relief and the Supreme Court’s calendar and filing methods before adopting a final petition date.

1. Identify the qualifying judgment or state discretionary-review denial and its entry.
2. Check the lower-court rehearing record and any actual extension granted to this petitioner.
3. Verify the Supreme Court calendar, filing method, required paper copies and separate service.
4. Rule 30.1 excludes the operative entry day and includes the following ninety calendar days, with its own final-day adjustment. Rule 13.3 directs the count from entry rather than mandate. If qualifying rehearing occurred, identify the denial or subsequent judgment before counting. A state discretionary-review denial is a separate Rule 13.1 event, not the date counsel received the original judgment.
5. Supreme Court Rule 30.1 carries a final Saturday, Sunday, federal legal holiday listed in 5 U.S.C. § 6103 or Court-building closure ordered by the Court or Chief Justice. Establish the actual Court order and federal holiday treatment. A state-court holiday does not itself establish a Supreme Court closed day.
6. File with the Supreme Court Clerk under the applicable Rules 29, 33 and 34 requirements. Current Rule 29.2 recognizes qualifying paper receipt, USPS postmark, commercial-carrier delivery and proper electronic submission. Electronic submission requires the paper copies delivered or mailed by a specified method within three days. Rule 29.7 and the current guidelines govern electronic requirements and exceptions. Complete separate party service; electronic Court submission alone does not transmit the document to other parties.

Rule 30.1 excludes the operative entry day and includes the following ninety calendar days, with its own final-day adjustment. Rule 13.3 directs the count from entry rather than mandate. If qualifying rehearing occurred, identify the denial or subsequent judgment before counting. A state discretionary-review denial is a separate Rule 13.1 event, not the date counsel received the original judgment.

Supreme Court Rule 30.1 carries a final Saturday, Sunday, federal legal holiday listed in 5 U.S.C. § 6103 or Court-building closure ordered by the Court or Chief Justice. Establish the actual Court order and federal holiday treatment. A state-court holiday does not itself establish a Supreme Court closed day.

An ordinary certiorari petition uses a ninety-day period once the proper judgment or state review-denial event is established. Mandate issuance is a different act. This guide supplies no automatic date or paid calculation. Check qualifying rehearing, any law providing otherwise, actual granted relief and the Supreme Court’s calendar and filing methods before adopting a final petition date.

Assume a qualifying judgment entered March 4, 2026 and no qualifying rehearing. Ninety raw calendar days begin March 5. This enumeration does not decide statutory jurisdiction, actual relief or filing completion. Confirm the actual Court calendar and filing method before adopting the final date.

Assume the qualifying judgment entered March 2, 2026. The ninetieth raw day is Sunday, May 31. Rule 30.1 excludes a final Sunday and requires checking the following days for federal holidays and actual Court-building closure. Establish any further closed days rather than treating the raw count as a released date.

A lower state judgment is subject to discretionary review, and the state court of last resort denies review later. Rule 13.1 identifies entry of the denial order for that branch. Receipt of the lower judgment and later mandate are different events. Establish the actual denial order and entry.

Counsel submits a petition electronically on the last allowed day. The March 2026 Rule 29.2(4) also requires paper copies through a specified method within three days, alongside applicable electronic rules and separate party service. Preserve both submission records and the required copies; upload alone does not prove every filing obligation.

Qualifying judgment and statutory review route

Rule 13.1 identifies the court-of-appeals, state-court-of-last-resort and state discretionary-review-denial branches, unless law otherwise provides. Verify the judgment and actual route.

Qualifying rehearing and mandate distinction

A timely rehearing petition by any party, appropriately entertained untimely petition or sua sponte rehearing can change the event under Rule 13.3. The mandate alone does not do so.

Supreme Court final-day calendar

Use Rule 30.1’s federal holiday and actual Court-building closure provisions. Do not import a lower court’s state holiday as an automatic Supreme Court adjustment.

Current filing method and separate service

Proper electronic submission under current Rule 29.2(4) must be followed by the required paper copies through a specified method within three days. Service remains separate under Rules 29.3 and 29.7.

Actually granted certiorari extension

A Justice may grant no more than sixty additional days for good cause under Rule 13.5. The application ordinarily must arrive at least ten days before the deadline and identify the parties seeking relief. A request or another party’s grant is not this petitioner’s extension.

• An ordinary certiorari petition uses a ninety-day period once the proper judgment or state review-denial event is established. Mandate issuance is a different act. This guide supplies no automatic date or paid calculation. Check qualifying rehearing, any law providing otherwise, actual granted relief and the Supreme Court’s calendar and filing methods before adopting a final petition date.
• The ordinary certiorari question identifies the initial judgment or state review-denial event. The separate rehearing question requires a qualifying lower-court rehearing event affecting that start. Both concern the same petition, so a party cannot add a second ninety-day period without Rule 13.3 facts.

• Identify the qualifying judgment or state discretionary-review denial and its entry.
• Check the lower-court rehearing record and any actual extension granted to this petitioner.
• Verify the Supreme Court calendar, filing method, required paper copies and separate service.
• File with the Supreme Court Clerk under the applicable Rules 29, 33 and 34 requirements. Current Rule 29.2 recognizes qualifying paper receipt, USPS postmark, commercial-carrier delivery and proper electronic submission. Electronic submission requires the paper copies delivered or mailed by a specified method within three days. Rule 29.7 and the current guidelines govern electronic requirements and exceptions. Complete separate party service; electronic Court submission alone does not transmit the document to other parties.
• File with the Supreme Court Clerk under the applicable Rules 29, 33 and 34 requirements. Current Rule 29.2 recognizes qualifying paper receipt, USPS postmark, commercial-carrier delivery and proper electronic submission. Electronic submission requires the paper copies delivered or mailed by a specified method within three days. Rule 29.7 and the current guidelines govern electronic requirements and exceptions. Complete separate party service; electronic Court submission alone does not transmit the document to other parties.