Describe the options available to circuit court judges once they have heard an appellate case.

If the Justices decide to accept a case (grant a petition for certiorari), the case is placed on the docket. According to Supreme Court protocol, the first step is: Writing Briefs - The petitioner and the respondent put forth his/her legal case concerning the issue on which the Court granted review. Briefs providing their own arguments and recommendations for how the case should be decided. The next step is waititng for the Oral Arguments - The Justices tend to view oral arguments for answering any questions that the Justices may have developed while reading their briefs. When oral arguments are concluded, the Justices have to decide the case. They do so at what is known as the Justice's Conference.