Remand

A remand sends a case back to a lower court for more proceedings after the reviewing court acts.

A Supreme Court remand tells the lower court to apply the Court's ruling, reconsider the case, or take another required step.

Remands appear in merits opinions, summary orders, and grant-vacate-remand orders when more lower-court work is needed.

Ask what instruction the lower court received and whether the Supreme Court resolved the central merits question.

Remand does not always mean the Supreme Court decided every issue. Some questions may remain for the lower court.

• Jeffrey Clyde Pitts, Petitioner v. MississippiDocket 24-1159Remand issue

  The Supreme Court vacated the lower court's judgment and remanded the case for further consideration regarding whether the denial of face-to-face confrontation rights can be considered harmless error.

• John Doe, Petitioner v. Dynamic Physical Therapy, LLC, et al.Docket 25-180Remand issue

  The Court unanimously reversed and remanded in a 9-0 per curiam decision. The case involved a Louisiana state statute and was decided without oral argument.

• Michael Bowe, Petitioner v. United StatesDocket 24-5438Remand issue

  The Court vacated and remanded a case involving federal sentencing guidelines. The 5-4 decision, authored by Justice Sotomayor, addressed how courts should calculate criminal history scores under the federal sentencing framework.