certiorari

cer·ti·o·rar·i   (sûr'shē-ə-râr'ē, -rä'rē)    n.  A writ from a higher court to a lower one requesting a transcript of the proceedings of a case for review. [Middle English, from Latin certiorārī (volumus), (we wish) to be informed (words in the writ), passive of certiōrāre, to inform, apprise, from certior, comparative of certus, certain; see certain.]

Main Entry: cer·tio·ra·ri
Pronunciation: "s&r-shE-&-'rar-E, "s&r-sh&-, -'rär-
Function: noun
Etymology: Medieval Latin certiorari (volumus) (we wish) to be informed (words used in the Latin texts of such writs)
: an extraordinary writ issued by a superior court (as the Supreme Court) to call up the records of a particular case from an inferior judicial body (as a Court of Appeals) —see also the JUDICIAL SYSTEM in the back matter —compare APPEAL
NOTE: Certiorari is one of the two ways to have a case from a U.S. Court of Appeals reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court. Certification is the other. The Supreme Court may also use certiorari to review a decision by a state's highest court when there is a question as to the validity of a federal treaty or statute, or of a state statute on constitutional grounds. Certiorari is also used within state court systems.