Update on US Supreme Court Matters

The U.S. Supreme Court has taken initial steps in deciding whether to hear a breakaway group’s petition on issues regarding our diocese and The Episcopal Church.
 
On Tuesday, February 27, the court requested that The Episcopal Church and The Episcopal Church in South Carolina file a response to the petition for writ of certiorari (sometimes called a “cert petition”), which was filed February 9 by attorneys for a group that announced in 2012 it was leaving The Episcopal Church.
 
After the response is filed, the case would come before the justices at one of their weekly conferences, in which they consider a number of cert petitions and determine which ones, if any, merit further discussion or should move forward toward a hearing before the court. According to the court’s rules, four of the nine justices must vote to accept a case.
 
General information about the U.S. Supreme Court and its procedures can be found here:
​http://www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/educational-resources/about-educational-outreach/activity-resources/supreme-1