No. 19-7727October Term 2019Decided Apr 27, 2020Updated Sep 3, 2026
In re Davis
The Supreme Court declined to review Davis's request and did not resolve whether the Sixth Circuit had a duty to act on the motions.
Case status
Decided · April 27, 2020
- Current stage
- Decided
- Latest event
- Decision released Apr 27, 2020
- What it's about
The Court denied Davis’s petition for an extraordinary writ of mandamus, leaving the Sixth Circuit without a Supreme Court order requiring it to rule on his pending motions. Davis had argued that the appellate court was required to act on a motion for reconsideration and a motion to amend his petition that had been pending for more than a year.
Question presented
Whether the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has a mandatory duty to rule on a pending "Motion for Reconsideration" and "Motion for Leave to File an Amended Petition" that have been pending for over a year?
- Case path
Decision released Apr 27, 2020
- Area
Decided Supreme Court case
Decision
What the Court decided
The Supreme Court declined to review Davis's request and did not resolve whether the Sixth Circuit had a duty to act on the motions.
Impact
For Davis, the Supreme Court's action does not require the Sixth Circuit to rule on the motions. Other people with pending appellate motions received no Supreme Court-wide answer from this docket action.
Not official Court text.
Briefing
What it's about
Davis asked the Supreme Court to use an extraordinary writ to address whether the Sixth Circuit had to rule on two pending motions. The Court declined review and did not decide the merits of that question.
Impact
For Davis, the Supreme Court's action does not require the Sixth Circuit to rule on the motions. Other people with pending appellate motions received no Supreme Court-wide answer from this docket action.
What's next
The Supreme Court has finished this docket action. Its action did not direct the Sixth Circuit to rule on Davis's pending motions.
What did the Supreme Court do in In re Davis?
The Court declined review of Davis's extraordinary-writ request. It did not decide whether the Sixth Circuit had to rule on the pending motions.
Who is affected by In re Davis?
Davis is directly affected because the Court did not order action on the two motions. Other litigants received no broader answer from this case.
What happens next in In re Davis?
The Supreme Court docket action is complete. The Court's action did not require the Sixth Circuit to decide Davis's pending motions.
Timing
Decided April 27, 2020
The Court released its decision on April 27, 2020 without hearing oral argument.
Documents
Activity
Docket activity2
AI analysis generated: Case Briefing
Sep 3, 2026 | Generated
Brief added: Petition
Jan 28, 2020 | Court records
Related cases
Grounding
- Grounding
- Primary materials plus reporting.
- Note
- Best-effort analysis: this explainer relies on a mix of primary materials and trusted secondary sources. Official filings and opinions remain authoritative.
- Checked
- Sep 3, 2026
- Method
- Methodology