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US courts of appeals

What is the deadline for maximum stay of the mandate pending a certiorari petition?

The period for maximum stay of the mandate pending a certiorari petition normally runs 90 calendar days from the order granting the stay of mandate, under Fed. R. App. P. 41(d)(2). If the final day is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, FRAP 26(a) carries it to the next open day.

Calculate my deadline
Period
90 calendar days
Trigger
The order granting the stay of mandate
Rule
Fed. R. App. P. 41(d)(2)
Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure

Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure amended through 2025

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Calculate your deadline

Enter the date of the order granting the stay of mandate. See the date, cited rule and counting steps.

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Which date starts the 90-day period?

The period runs from the order granting the stay of mandate.

Count forward from the trigger event. Confirm the event on the docket or in the service record before entering a date.

"The stay must not exceed 90 days, unless: (A) the period is extended for good cause; or (B) the party who obtained the stay notifies the circuit clerk in writing within the period of the stay: (i) that the time for filing a petition has been extended, in which case the stay continues for the extended period; or (ii) that the petition has been filed, in which case the stay continues until the Supreme Court's final disposition."

Fed. R. App. P. 41(d)(2)
Read FRAP 41
Use the event the rule names.

This period runs from the specific event in the cited rule. Do not substitute a nearby date such as a hearing, a courtesy copy or the day you first learned of it.

Which date do I enter?

How are the 90 calendar days counted?

  1. Exclude the day of the trigger event.
  2. Count every following day, including intermediate Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays.
  3. If the last day is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, continue to the next day that is not one of those.

Exclude the trigger day and count calendar days under FRAP 26(a).

If the final day is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, FRAP 26(a) carries it to the next open day.

FRAP 26(a) also treats a day on which the clerk’s office is inaccessible as excluded from the last day, and sets the electronic filing cutoff at midnight in the time zone of the circuit clerk’s principal office. Circuit local rules and briefing orders often control; the national calculation does not read them.

Read FRAP 26(a)
National rules do not establish local facts.

The calculation gives the ordinary national-rule date. Check relevant holidays, the court’s accessibility and its filing cutoff separately.

Review the filing checklist

What does a worked calculation look like?

Fictitious example

Assume the order granting the stay of mandate on Tuesday, September 1, 2026 (the order granting the stay of mandate 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 FRAP 26(a). The example assumes no local rule, order or closure changes the default period.

Example counting steps
StepWhat is countedDate
TriggerDo not count this daySeptember 1, 2026
Day 1Start counting calendar daysSeptember 2, 2026
Day 90Ordinary deadline in this exampleNovember 30, 2026
Example resultMonday, November 30, 2026
Try these dates using the worked-example button

Can an order, motion or extension change the deadline?

Extensions
Extendable for good cause, and self-extending on written notice to the circuit clerk within the stay period of either an extension of the certiorari deadline or the filing of the petition. The court may require a bond or other security: FRAP 41(d)(3).
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.
Read FRAP 41
  • Extendable for good cause, and self-extending on written notice to the circuit clerk within the stay period of either an extension of the certiorari deadline or the filing of the petition. The court may require a bond or other security: FRAP 41(d)(3).
  • 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 90-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 order granting the stay of mandate, or when I first learned of it?

The period runs from the order granting the stay of mandate 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 FRAP 41

Do I add three days because the document arrived by mail?

Not to this period. FRAP 26(c) concerns periods measured after service. This period runs from the order granting the stay of mandate, so no mailing days are added.

FRAP 26(c)

Counting days and filing

Is it 90 calendar days or business days?

Calendar days. Count intermediate weekends and holidays. If the final day is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, FRAP 26(a) carries it forward to the next day that is not one of those.

FRAP 26(a)

Which time zone and filing cutoff apply?

Under FRAP 26(a)(4), electronic filing ends at midnight in the time zone of the circuit clerk’s principal office unless a different time is set. Paper filing ends when the clerk’s office is scheduled to close. This calculator does not verify either fact.

FRAP 26(a)

What if the court is inaccessible on the last day?

FRAP 26(a)(3) extends the period to the first accessible day that is not a weekend or legal holiday when the clerk’s office is inaccessible on the last day. Check the circuit’s closure notices and orders.

FRAP 26(a)

Extensions and local rules

Can the court extend this deadline?

Extendable for good cause, and self-extending on written notice to the circuit clerk within the stay period of either an extension of the certiorari deadline or the filing of the petition. The court may require a bond or other security: FRAP 41(d)(3). A request does not itself extend the period, and no discretionary extension is calculated here.

Read FRAP 41

Do 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.

Provisions used in this guide
ProvisionPurpose
Fed. R. App. P. 41(d)(2)Trigger and period
FRAP 26(a)Counting, legal holidays and the last day
Read the official Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure

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.

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