of the entry of that judgment, although that time can be extended by up to 60 days.
Q: How long does it take the Court to act, once a petition has been filed?
A: On the average, about six weeks. Once a petition has been filed, the other party has 30 days within which to file a response brief, or, in some cases waive his/ her right to respond. Once the 10 day period for receiving a reply brief has passed, the case is circulated to the Justices and placed on a conference list, for consideration at one of the Justices' private conferences. Copies of conference lists are available to news reporters for their convenience ONLY, and not for publication. Cases appearing on a conference list may reasonably be expected to appear on the following Monday's Order List (the announcement of dispositions in pending cases) although this is not always the case. If a case does not appear, it will be relisted for consideration at a future conference. If the petition is granted, the petitioner has 45 days within which to file a brief on the merits, and the respondent has 30 days within which to file the brief in response, for a total of about 75 days. The petitioner may then file a reply brief up to 10 days prior to the date oral argument has been scheduled.
Q: Are cases granted during a term always heard that same term?
A: No. Cases granted after mid-January are typically carried over until the next term begins the following October, unless the case is expedited by the Court.
