Glossary
Emergency application
Supreme Court glossaryAll terms
Definition
An emergency application asks the Supreme Court to act quickly, usually to pause a lower court's order or block a law or policy while the case goes on.
Why it matters
The answer decides which rules apply while the case is fought out, and that stretch can last months or years.
In practice
The application goes first to the circuit justice (the justice who oversees that region's courts). That justice can act alone, ask the other side to respond by a deadline, or refer it to the full Court.
Check what is being asked, who filed it, and whether the Court asked for a response or referred it to all nine justices.
Common confusion
Not every application is an emergency. Most just ask for more time to file papers; the emergency docket covers requests to act on the dispute itself.