Supreme Court of the United States
What is the deadline for waiting period before distribution of the petition to the Court?
The period for waiting period before distribution of the petition to the Court normally runs 14 calendar days from filing of the brief in opposition, under Sup. Ct. R. 15.5. If the final day is a Saturday, Sunday, federal legal holiday or a day the Court is closed, Rule 30.1 carries it to the next open day.
Calculate my deadline- Period
- 14 calendar days
- Trigger
- Filing of the brief in opposition
- Rule
- Sup. Ct. R. 15.5
Rules of the Supreme Court effective July 1, 2023
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Calculate your deadline
Enter the date of filing of the brief in opposition. See the date, cited rule and counting steps.
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Which date starts the 14-day period?
The period runs from the filing of the brief in opposition.
Count forward from the trigger event. Confirm the event on the docket or in the service record before entering a date.
Read Rule 15"If a brief in opposition is timely filed, the Clerk will distribute the petition, brief in opposition, and any reply brief to the Court for its consideration no less than 14 days after the brief in opposition is filed, unless the petitioner expressly waives the 14-day waiting period."
Sup. Ct. R. 15.5
This period runs from the filing date on the docket. Do not substitute the date of service, the date an order was entered or the day you learned of the filing.
Which date do I enter?How are the 14 calendar days counted?
- Exclude the day of the trigger event.
- Count every following day, including intermediate Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays.
- If the last day is a Saturday, Sunday, federal legal holiday, or a day the Court building is closed by order or inaccessible, continue to the next day that is not one of those.
Exclude the trigger day and count calendar days under Sup. Ct. R. 30.1.
If the final day is a Saturday, Sunday, federal legal holiday or a day the Court is closed, Rule 30.1 carries it to the next open day.
Rule 30.1 lists the days that carry a deadline forward, including days on which the Court building is closed or inaccessible. Rule 30 also governs extensions, which the Court grants sparingly. The national calculation does not confirm building closures.
Read Sup. Ct. R. 30.1The calculation gives the ordinary national-rule date. Check relevant holidays, the court’s accessibility and its filing cutoff separately.
Review the filing checklistWhat does a worked calculation look like?
Fictitious example
Assume the filing of the brief in opposition on Tuesday, September 1, 2026 (filing of the brief in opposition on this date, with no order, motion or extension affecting the period), with no order, motion, extension or local closure affecting the result. Exclude the trigger day and count calendar days under Sup. Ct. R. 30.1. The example assumes no local rule, order or closure changes the default period.
| Step | What is counted | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Filing | Do not count this day | September 1, 2026 |
| Day 1 | Start counting calendar days | September 2, 2026 |
| Day 14 | Ordinary deadline in this example | September 15, 2026 |
Can an order, motion or extension change the deadline?
- Extensions
- Waivable only by the petitioner, expressly.
- Orders and local rules
- A scheduling order, stipulation approved by the court, standing order or local rule can set a different period and controls over the national default.
- Waivable only by the petitioner, expressly.
- A stipulation, scheduling order, standing order or local rule can set a different period and controls over the national default.
What should I check before filing?
These checks help you review the result. They do not activate a calendar date or certify that the deadline applies.
Common questions
Find answers about when this 14-day period starts, how it is counted, what can change it and how to keep your calculation.
Starting the clock
Does the clock start on the filing of the brief in opposition, or when I first learned of it?
The period runs from the filing of the brief in opposition as the rule defines it, not from the day you read about it, received a courtesy copy or attended a hearing. Use the date shown on the docket or in the service record.
Read Rule 15Counting days and filing
Is it 14 calendar days or business days?
Calendar days. Count intermediate weekends and holidays. If the final day is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, Sup. Ct. R. 30.1 carries it forward to the next day that is not one of those.
Sup. Ct. R. 30.1Which time zone and filing cutoff apply?
The Clerk’s Office filing hours and the electronic filing system’s requirements control the cutoff. This calculator does not verify system availability.
Sup. Ct. R. 30.1What if the court is inaccessible on the last day?
Rule 30.1 carries the last day past any day the Court building is closed by order of the Court or the Chief Justice, or is otherwise inaccessible. Check the Court’s notices.
Sup. Ct. R. 30.1Extensions and local rules
Can the court extend this deadline?
Waivable only by the petitioner, expressly. A request does not itself extend the period, and no discretionary extension is calculated here.
Read Rule 15Do local rules, standing orders or a scheduling order change the date?
They can. Many courts set their own periods by local rule, standing order or case-specific order, and those control over the national default. This calculator gives the national-rule date only; compare it with any order in the case before relying on it.
Choosing the right calculator
Does this calculator decide whether the rule applies to my case?
No. It calculates a period from the date you provide under the cited rule. It does not decide whether the rule governs your filing, whether an exception applies, or whether the filing has merit. Those questions need separate review.
Can I calculate the deadline without an account?
Yes. Enter the trigger date to see the free national-rule calculation, citation, counting steps and warnings. You can add court context after the result. Missing court review keeps the result provisional.
Results, records and your case
What is included in an Evidence Record?
The retained inputs, result, cited rule, calculation working, warnings and review state. The PDF includes a payload digest and retained-data appendix, and the record can be verified against its fingerprint later. It records the calculation, not a guarantee of legal correctness.
Does saving to a case activate the calendar?
Not automatically. Provisional records remain subject to review. A separately labeled manual date does not alter the original calculation.
Official sources and review
The period and the counting method come from different provisions. The official source is the court’s published rules; the reading links open the rule text at the Legal Information Institute.
| Provision | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Sup. Ct. R. 15.5 | Trigger and period |
| Sup. Ct. R. 30.1 | Counting, legal holidays and the last day |
Rule record reviewed . Guide sources checked . Next source check .
Published by Deadline Engine. This tool calculates the ordinary period under the cited rule. It does not decide whether the rule applies, obtain an extension or file anything for you.