--- title: "Rehearing, Mandate, Certiorari, and Direct-Review Finality" module_id: "MOD-DIRECT-REVIEW-REHEARING-MANDATE-CERTIORARI" url: "https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/modules/50-direct-review/rehearing-mandate-certiorari-and-finality/" current_through: "2026-08-26" legal_review: "2026-08-25" links_checked: "2026-10-15" links_available: 4 links_checked_count: 4 license: "CC BY 4.0" --- # Rehearing, Mandate, Certiorari, and Direct-Review Finality ## Verification boundary This module verifies current national rehearing and mandate rules, the Supreme Court's Rules effective March 16, 2026 for certiorari timing and basic filing, and bounded Supreme Court finality decisions. It does not predict rehearing or certiorari, calculate a deadline without the actual judgment and rehearing history, decide a lower court's jurisdiction during mandate proceedings, or assign one meaning of finality to every statute and doctrine. ## Panel rehearing and rehearing en banc Current Rule 40 places panel rehearing and rehearing en banc in one rule: a party may seek panel rehearing, rehearing en banc, or both in one document unless a local rule provides otherwise, while en banc rehearing remains not favored. [Fed. R. App. P. 40](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-appellate-procedure.pdf) A petition for panel rehearing must state with particularity each point of law or fact the petitioner believes the court overlooked or misapprehended and must argue in support; it is not an unrestricted second merits brief. [Fed. R. App. P. 40(a)(2)](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-appellate-procedure.pdf) Rehearing en banc ordinarily requires that the proceeding conflict with a Supreme Court or circuit decision and consideration by the full court is needed for uniformity, or that the proceeding involves a question of exceptional importance. [Fed. R. App. P. 40(b)(2)](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-appellate-procedure.pdf) In a criminal case, a rehearing petition ordinarily must be filed within fourteen days after entry of judgment, but a local rule or court order may shorten or extend that time and Rule 40 supplies a longer government period in specified cases. [Fed. R. App. P. 40(d)(1)](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-appellate-procedure.pdf) No response to a rehearing petition is permitted unless the court requests one, and granting rehearing does not itself create a right to oral argument; the order granting rehearing governs the next procedure. [Fed. R. App. P. 40(e)](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-appellate-procedure.pdf) ## Mandate Unless the court shortens or extends the time, the mandate issues seven days after the time to seek rehearing expires or seven days after denial of a timely rehearing petition, petition for rehearing en banc, or motion to stay mandate, whichever is later; the mandate is effective when issued. [Fed. R. App. P. 41(b), (c)](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-appellate-procedure.pdf) A motion to stay the mandate pending certiorari must show that the petition would present a substantial question and that there is good cause for a stay; a stay ordinarily may not exceed ninety days unless extended for good cause or a timely certiorari filing is shown. [Fed. R. App. P. 41(d)](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-appellate-procedure.pdf) ## Petition for a writ of certiorari A petition for certiorari seeking review of a court-of-appeals judgment ordinarily is due within ninety days after entry of the judgment, not issuance of the mandate; the actual judgment date and every rehearing event must be verified. [Sup. Ct. R. 13.1, 13.3 (effective Mar. 16, 2026)](https://www.supremecourt.gov/filingandrules/2026rulesofthecourt_web.pdf) If a rehearing petition is timely filed, or the lower court appropriately entertains an untimely petition or considers rehearing on its own, the certiorari period for all parties runs from denial of rehearing or, if rehearing is granted, entry of the later judgment. [Sup. Ct. R. 13.3](https://www.supremecourt.gov/filingandrules/2026rulesofthecourt_web.pdf) For good cause, a Justice may extend the certiorari filing time for no more than sixty days; an application ordinarily must be submitted at least ten days before the due date absent extraordinary circumstances, and an extension is not automatic. [Sup. Ct. R. 13.5](https://www.supremecourt.gov/filingandrules/2026rulesofthecourt_web.pdf) Certiorari is discretionary and granted only for compelling reasons such as important conflicts or important unresolved federal questions; claimed factual error or misapplication of a properly stated rule rarely warrants review. [Sup. Ct. R. 10](https://www.supremecourt.gov/filingandrules/2026rulesofthecourt_web.pdf) Rules 12 and 14 govern docketing and petition contents and appendices, while Rule 39 governs in-forma-pauperis filings; the current Clerk's guidance, copy rules, forms, lower-court orders, and filing status must be checked rather than assuming one package for every petitioner. [Sup. Ct. R. 12, 14, 39](https://www.supremecourt.gov/filingandrules/2026rulesofthecourt_web.pdf) ## Finality is context specific “Finality” is not one universal date: the relevant statute or doctrine must be identified, and appellate judgment, rehearing, mandate, certiorari time, certiorari disposition, and any later amended judgment must not be treated as interchangeable events. [*Clay v. United States*, 537 U.S. 522, 527–32 (2003)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USREPORTS-537/pdf/USREPORTS-537-522.pdf); [*Griffith v. Kentucky*, 479 U.S. 314, 321 n.6, 328 (1987)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USREPORTS-479/pdf/USREPORTS-479-314.pdf) For § 2255(f)(1), when the court of appeals affirms and no certiorari petition is filed, *Clay* holds that the conviction becomes final when the time for seeking certiorari expires, not when the appellate mandate issues. [*Clay*, 537 U.S. at 527–32](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USREPORTS-537/pdf/USREPORTS-537-522.pdf) For direct-review retroactivity, *Griffith* treats a case as pending on direct review until the judgment of conviction is rendered, appeal availability is exhausted, and certiorari time has elapsed or certiorari has been denied, and applies a new constitutional rule to all cases not yet final. [*Griffith*, 479 U.S. at 321 n.6, 328](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USREPORTS-479/pdf/USREPORTS-479-314.pdf) Issuance of the court-of-appeals mandate does not start Supreme Court Rule 13's certiorari period and did not mark § 2255(f)(1) finality in *Clay*; mandate timing, certiorari timing, and collateral limitations therefore require separate calculations. [Fed. R. App. P. 41](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-appellate-procedure.pdf); [Sup. Ct. R. 13.3](https://www.supremecourt.gov/filingandrules/2026rulesofthecourt_web.pdf); [*Clay*, 537 U.S. at 527–32](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USREPORTS-537/pdf/USREPORTS-537-522.pdf) ## Authorities - [Fed. R. App. P. 40, 41](https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/authorities/AUTH-FRAP-40-41.md) · official source: https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-appellate-procedure.pdf - [Sup. Ct. R. 10, 12, 13, 14, 39](https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/authorities/AUTH-SCOTUS-RULES-10-12-13-14-39.md) · official source: https://www.supremecourt.gov/filingandrules/2026rulesofthecourt_web.pdf - [Clay v. United States, 537 U.S. 522 (2003)](https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/authorities/AUTH-SCOTUS-CLAY-537-US-522.md) · official source: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USREPORTS-537/pdf/USREPORTS-537-522.pdf - [Griffith v. Kentucky, 479 U.S. 314 (1987)](https://jason93.com/legal/federal-process/authorities/AUTH-SCOTUS-GRIFFITH-479-US-314.md) · official source: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USREPORTS-479/pdf/USREPORTS-479-314.pdf