How does a case get to the Supreme Court?
The Supreme Court is the top and definitive federal court in the country. A case gets to the Supreme Court generally through legal appeals. When the court accepts a case, it’s because lower courts (local districts and state) have issued a ruling that one of the parties thinks is unfair, or judges have issued different rulings on the case. Although it happens occasionally, it is rare for the Supreme Court to hear a case that has not gone through the lower federal court system. The path the Falvo case took is illustrates of how to get your argument heard in front of the “big nine.” In 1999, the Falvo case was heard in a local Tulsa courthouse, where a district judge dismissed it. The judge ruled the quizzes and mini exams the students graded did not constitute an educational record. Unsatisfied with the dismissal, the angry mother appealed her case to the U.S. Circuit court. The U.S. Circuit court is like the middleman in the federal court system. It hears appeals and issues rulings on c
