Interim summary. The full text of the Rules of the Court will replace this page; until then, this summary describes how the Court works.
1. The three levels
The Administrator (Draco) decides punishments and lawsuits.
Any decision of the Administrator may be appealed within 3 days to an Appellate Panel of three members, assigned by the Supreme Court. Appeal is a right: every appeal filed in time is heard.
A Panel’s decision may be taken to the Supreme Court by petition within 3 days. The Supreme Court decides which petitions to hear, and its decisions are final.
2. What an appellate court can do
An Appellate Panel, and the Supreme Court when it hears a case, may:
- Confirm the decision below;
- Change it, for example by reducing or lifting a punishment; or
- Send back the case to be decided again, with directions (remand).
3. Precedent
Rulings of an appellate court bind every case below it. A Panel must follow the precedents of the Supreme Court, and the Administrator must follow the precedents of both.
Only the Supreme Court may depart from its own precedent, and when it does, it must give its reasons.
4. How to petition the Supreme Court
File a Petition to the Supreme Court (Form 4) within 3 days of the Panel’s decision. Say which question the Court should decide and why it matters: for example, that the Panel departed from binding precedent or went beyond its powers.
Deadline calculator
Enter the date of the decision you want to challenge.
Your deadlines will appear here.
Counted as 3 calendar days after the day of the decision, ending 23:59 Court time (UTC). If the Rules say otherwise, the Rules win.
5. Stays
Filing an appeal or petition does not pause the decision. To pause it, apply for a stay (Form 15), ideally at the same time as your appeal. Explain why the decision should not take effect yet, and what harm you would suffer without a stay.
6. Writs
The Court may issue writs of certiorari, mandamus, prohibition and habeas corpus, orders to show cause, and findings of contempt. The Writs & Orders page explains each in one line.
7. Conduct
Everyone who takes part in proceedings must be truthful and respectful, and must obey the Court’s orders. Disobeying the Court or disrupting its work may be treated as contempt.
8. Forms
- Form 14 — Notice of Appeal, to appeal a decision of the Administrator.
- Form 4 — Petition to the Supreme Court, to seek review of a Panel’s decision.
- Form 15 — Application for a Stay.
- Court forms, issued by the Court only (do not fill them in): Form 1 Order · Form 2 Summons · Form 3 Writ of Mandamus · Form 5 Order Granting Review · Form 6 Order Denying Review · Form 7 Order on Application for Stay · Form 8 Writ of Certiorari · Form 9 Writ of Habeas Corpus · Form 10 Writ of Prohibition · Form 11 Opinion and Judgment on Review · Form 12 Mandate · Form 13 Order to Show Cause · Forms 16 and 17.
Every member form can be filed online on the File page, or downloaded as a PDF from the Documents page.