Denials of Certiorari:

• A. Indicate the Court will not review the case, not an endorsement of lower court action
• B. Indicate the lower court decision is incorrect
• C. Indicate the case is automatically remanded
• D. Indicate the Court agrees with the lower court

Answer: (A)

Denials of certiorari mean the Supreme Court will not review the case. This decision is about whether the Court wants to hear argument on the merits; it does not indicate that the lower court’s ruling was correct or that the Court endorses it. When cert is denied, the lower court’s decision stands as the final ruling in that case, and there is no automatic remand. The denial signals only discretion not to take up the case for review, not an assessment of the decision’s merits.