Which court primarily uses certiorari to review cases it decides to hear?

The United States Supreme Court primarily uses certiorari to review cases it decides to hear. Certiorari is a legal term used to describe a court's decision to review a lower court's decision. The Supreme Court exercises its discretion to choose which cases to hear through a writ of certiorari, meaning it can select cases it deems significant or where there may be conflicting decisions in lower courts.

This mechanism is critical because the Supreme Court receives thousands of petitions for certiorari each term but only selects a small number of cases for full review, often focusing on those that involve important constitutional questions or federal law interpretations. The process ensures that only cases of wide-ranging impact or that resolve conflicts in the interpretation of law come before the highest court.

Other courts, such as state supreme courts, federal district courts, and courts of appeals, typically operate under different rules. For example, state supreme courts have their own procedures and may receive appeals as a matter of right under certain circumstances, while federal district courts primarily act as trial courts and do not use certiorari. Courts of Appeals often handle appeals as a matter of right from lower courts and do not operate under certiorari, limiting their review power to specific cases dictated by statute. Thus, the