The courts
cert pool
The shared arrangement in which law clerks from participating chambers write one memo per certiorari petition, circulated to all of them.
In full
With thousands of petitions a year, most chambers pool the screening work: a single clerk summarizes each petition and recommends. Critics argue the pool makes the Court more conservative about granting review, since one clerk's cautious memo can sink a petition. Not every Justice participates, and some review petitions independently.
Where to go next
Keep going
Browse every term in the glossary, or see the vocabulary in motion in the How government works walkthroughs.
A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.