It's Wednesday, April 22nd, 2006. I'm Albert Moller, and this is the briefing, a daily analysis

of news and events from a Christian worldview. These days, some of the most important news comes

from the courts, some of the most important action undertaken by the courts.

Most importantly, the federal courts.

And of course, there you're looking at the district courts going up to the courts of appeal,

and then eventually you get to the Supreme Court of the United States.

Now, from time to time, we discuss what takes place at the district court level

or at one of the U.S. Circuit Courts of

Appeal. Most importantly, we look at decisions and issues as they arise at the Supreme Court

of the United States, simply because that is the ultimate Court of Appeal, that is the Supreme

Court of the United States. But as we're looking at some issues, it's also important to remember that the

Supreme Court has a great deal of latitude in terms of which cases it decides to hear.

The court listens to petitions, receives those petitions, and decides from a vast number of cases

on appeal, which cases it will take. Now, some are almost automatic,

simply because of their massive constitutional urgency. Others are matters of choice. The court

grants in conference, and we have no access to that conference, that's entirely a private

affair among the justices. The justices in conference look at the cases sent for appeal, and they take the

cases. They want to take. The magic number is four. It is often referred to as the rule of four.

If four justices vote to take the case, the court will hear the case and eventually decide the

case, or at least hand down whatever rulings are

appropriate to the case. Again, the rule of four. If four grant a writ of certiori or vote that

the court should do so, the court announces that it's going to take the case and then it puts it

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