What are briefs on the merits?

A brief shall be concise, logically arranged with proper headings, and free of irrelevant, immaterial, or scandalous matter. The Court may disregard or strike a brief that does not comply with this paragraph.

What are the 3 types of briefs filed at the Supreme Court?

FILE-NAME:BRIEFS Includes merit briefs for cases granted certiorari and special masters, amicus curiae briefs, and joint appendices beginning in January 1979, with selected coverage from 1936.

Can you read Supreme Court briefs?

Briefs are accessed by case name or argument date. This is the site the Supreme Court references with its link on-line MERITS BRIEFS.

Does the Supreme Court write briefs?

According to the Supreme Court’s rules, the petitioner has a certain amount of time to write a brief, not to exceed 50 pages, putting forth his/her legal case concerning the issue on which the Court granted review.

What is a respondent’s brief?

The respondent – who won in the trial court – writes only one brief. The respondent’s brief argues that the trial court’s decision was correct. Even if the trial court made a legal mistake, the respondent’s brief may argue that the mistake did not impact the judgment. The respondent’s brief is optional.

What are briefs in court?

Once the appellate court files the record on appeal, you will have to prepare your brief. A “brief” is a party’s written description of the facts in the case, the law that applies, and the party’s argument about the issues on appeal. The briefs are the single most important part of the appellate process.

What is the purpose of an amicus brief?

The Basic Function of Amicus Briefs seek to mitigate or expand the effects of a potentially important prior court opinion, depending on whether the opinion is damaging or helpful. 3 They may be filed by a person or an organization, or by a group of people or organizations.

Where can I read legal briefs?

US Supreme Court – The official US Supreme Court website lists sources to access court briefs, including a link to the ABA collection of Merits Briefs (not including amici curiae briefs and joint appendices) available through the American Bar Association’s Preview of United Supreme Court Cases.

What case has the most amicus briefs?

As noted, the 2014-2015 term broke a record for the most briefs filed in a single case—147 amicus briefs in the marriage equality case. The majority in fact alluded to the “more than 100 amici” as support for its determination that there had been sufficient public debate over the issue of same-sex marriage.

How do you format a Supreme Court brief?

Every document must be prepared in a bound booklet-format on paper that is cut to 6 1/8″ x 9 1/4″. The paper must be opaque, unglazed, and not less than 60 pounds in weight, and shall have margins of at least three-fourths of an inch on all sides. The text field, including footnotes, may not exceed 41/8 by 71/8 inches.