When will the Supreme Court decide my case?

Except in unusual circumstances, the decision-making process does not begin until all parties have filed briefs. The briefs are reviewed by the Supreme Court to decide whether to schedule oral argument. The review process generally takes 45 to 60 days after all briefs have been filed.

If your case is not scheduled for oral argument, the Supreme Court will discuss it at one of its regular conferences and will decide whether to affirm or reverse the trial court’s decision. A short order explaining the Supreme Court's reasons will generally be issued within a week of the court's conference.

If the Supreme Court determines that oral argument will be held in a case, the clerk of court will schedule the case for the next available oral argument date. With the exception of months when the court does not hear oral argument (and, instead, concentrates on writing opinions), the court generally hears three or four days of oral arguments per month.

Cases scheduled for oral argument are assigned to a justice to write an opinion or order. The justice, assisted by his or her law clerks, prepares a draft, which is circulated to all justices who are not disqualified from the case. The justices meet frequently to discuss all the opinions and orders that have been drafted. If a justice does not agree with the majority of the other justices, the justice may write a separate dissenting opinion. Generally, an opinion is issued within four months of oral argument, but in some cases it may take longer.