28 U.S. Code § 2101 - Supreme Court; time for appeal or certiorari; docketing; stay

Pub. L. 118–31, div. A, title V, § 533(a)(2)(B), (b), Dec. 22, 2023, 137 Stat. 261, provided that, effective on the date that is one year after Dec. 22, 2023, and applicable with respect to any action of the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces in granting or refusing to grant a petition for review submitted to such Court for the first time on or after Dec. 22, 2023, with certain provisos, subsection (g) of this section is amended to read as follows:

“(g) The time for application for a writ of certiorari to review a decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, or the decision of a Court of Criminal Appeals that the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces refuses to grant a petition to review, shall be as prescribed by rules of the Supreme Court.”

See 2023 Amendment note below.

Based on title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., §§ 47, 47a, 349a, 350, 380, 380a, section 29 of title 15, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Commerce and Trade, and section 45 of title 49, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Transportation (Feb. 11, 1903, ch. 544, § 2, 32 Stat. 1167; Mar. 3, 1911, ch. 231, §§ 210, 266, 291, 36 Stat. 1150, 1162, 1167; Mar. 4, 1913, ch. 160, 37 Stat. 1013; Oct. 22, 1913, ch. 32, 38 Stat. 220; Sept. 6, 1916, ch. 448, § 6, 39 Stat. 727; Feb. 13, 1925, ch. 229, §§ 1, 8 (a, b, d), 43 Stat. 938, 940; Jan. 31, 1928, ch. 14, § 1, 45 Stat. 54; June 7, 1934, ch. 426, 48 Stat. 936; Aug. 24, 1937, ch. 754, §§ 2, 3, 50 Stat. 752; June 9, 1944, ch. 239, 58 Stat. 272).

Section consolidates section 350 of title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., with those portions of sections 47, 47a, 349a, 380, and 380a, of said title 28, section 29, of title 15, U.S.C., 1940 ed., and section 45 of title 49, U.S.C., 1940 ed., respective time for taking direct appeal. (For disposition of other provisions of said sections, see Distribution Table.)

Subsection (a) of the revised section is derived from sections 349a and 380a of title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed. The phrase “under rules prescribed by the Supreme Court” was substituted for the phrase “under such rules as may be prescribed by the proper courts” which appeared in both such sections. The Supreme Court by its revised rules 10–13 has made adequate provision for filing record and docketing case. (See Revised Rules of the Supreme Court following section 354 of title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed.)

Subsection (b) is in accord with sections 47 and 47a of title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., and section 29 of title 15, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Commerce and Trade, and section 45 of title 49, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Transportation.

Subsection (c), with respect to the time for taking other appeals or petitioning for a writ of certiorari, substitutes, as more specific, the words “ninety days” for the words “three months” contained in section 350 of title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed. The provision in said section 350 for allowance of additional time was retained, notwithstanding the language of the Supreme Court in Comm’r v. Bedford’s Estate, 1945, 65 S.Ct. 1157, 1159, 325 U.S. 283, 89 L.Ed. 1611, to the effect that the 3 months’ period is “more than ample * * * to determine whether to seek further review”.

In subsection (c), words “in a civil action, suit, or proceeding” were added because section 350 of title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., was superseded as to criminal cases by Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, Rule 39(a)(2), (b)(2).

Words “or the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia” in section 350 of title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., were omitted as covered by “court of appeals” in subsection (d) of this revised section.

Words in section 350 of title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., “excepting that writs of certiorari to the Supreme Court of the Philippine Islands may be granted where application therefor is made within six months”, were omitted as obsolete, in view of the independence of the Philippines recognized by section 1240 of title 48, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Territories and Insular Possessions.

Subsection (e) relates only to supersedeas or stay of execution of judgments sought to be reviewed in the Supreme Court on writ of certiorari. Supersedeas or stay of proceedings taken to the Supreme Court by appeal from courts of appeals, or direct appeals from a district court or three-judge courts, is governed by Rule 62 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

Changes were made in phraseology.

This section clarifies the meaning of subsection (c) of section 2101 of title 28, U.S.C. At present, such subsection, after the words, “ninety days after entry of such judgment or decree”, reads, “unless, upon application for writ of certiorari, for good cause, the Supreme Court or a justice thereof allows an additional time not exceeding sixty days.”

The new subsection (d) of section 2101 supplies an omission in revised title 28, U.S.C., and confirms the authority of the Supreme Court to regulate the time for seeking review of State criminal cases.

The other amendment merely renumbers subsections (d) and (e) of such section 2101 as subsections (e) and (f), respectively.

2023—Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 118–31 amended subsec. (g) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (g) read as follows: “The time for application for a writ of certiorari to review a decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces shall be as prescribed by rules of the Supreme Court.”

1994—Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 103–337 substituted “Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces” for “Court of Military Appeals”.

1988—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 100–352 substituted “section 1253” for “sections 1252, 1253, and 2282”.

1983—Subsec. (g). Pub. L. 98–209 added subsec. (g).

1949—Subsec. (c). Act May 24, 1949, § 106(a), clarified the allowance of an additional 60 days in which to apply for a writ of certiorari.

Subsecs. (d) to (f). Act May 24, 1949, § 106(b), added subsec. (d) and redesignated former subsecs. (d) and (e) as (e) and (f), respectively.

Amendment by Pub. L. 118–31(a) effective on the date that is one year after Dec. 22, 2023, and applicable with respect to any action of the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces in granting or refusing to grant a petition for review submitted to such Court for the first time on or after Dec. 22, 2023, with provisions for inapplicability to pending decisions, finality of decisions before effective date, and requiring Supreme Court to prescribe rules to carry out subsection (g) of this section by the effective date specified, see section 533(b) of Pub. L. 118–31, set out as a note under section 867a of Title 10, Armed Forces.

Amendment by Pub. L. 100–352 effective ninety days after June 27, 1988, except that such amendment not to apply to cases pending in Supreme Court on such effective date or affect right to review or manner of reviewing judgment or decree of court which was entered before such effective date, see section 7 of Pub. L. 100–352, set out as a note under section 1254 of this title.

Amendment by Pub. L. 98–209 effective on first day of eighth calendar month beginning after Dec. 6, 1983, see section 12(a)(1) of Pub. L. 98–209, set out as a note under section 801 of Title 10, Armed Forces.