# What are the rules for the US Supreme Court to decide to hear a case?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-rules-for-the-us-supreme-court-to-decide-to-hear-a-case/953660
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [November 2, 2021, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-rules-for-the-us-supreme-court-to-decide-to-hear-a-case/953660 "2021-11-02T00:42:22Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)
#### Post date: [November 2, 2021, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-rules-for-the-us-supreme-court-to-decide-to-hear-a-case/953660/1 "2021-11-02T00:42:22Z")
I thought it only took two justices to agree that a case should be heard at the US Supreme Court (noo idea where I got that notion). The article below suggests to me it needs something more. So, what is the procedure at the US Supreme Court for them to decide to hear a case?
(remember this is GQ)
> **[Justices Gorsuch and Sotomayor Bristle at SCOTUS Refusal to Take Up Case on...](https://lawandcrime.com/supreme-court/justices-gorsuch-and-sotomayor-bristle-at-scotus-refusal-to-review-secrecy-of-u-s-surveillance-court-if-these-matters-are-not-worthy-of-our-time-what-is/)**
>
> Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Neil Gorsuch were unlikely allies Monday as they issued a dissenting statement from the high court's denial of certiorari in a case demanding transparency over the proceedings conducted by the Foreign...
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### Author:  [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)
#### Post date: [November 2, 2021, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-rules-for-the-us-supreme-court-to-decide-to-hear-a-case/953660/2 "2021-11-02T06:16:27Z")
It’s four justices, by practice.
[Rule of four - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_four)