The courts
petitioner
The party asking a higher court to review a decision. The other side is the respondent. In the Supreme Court, the petitioner filed the cert petition.
In full
Case names reverse when the loser appeals, which is why the same dispute can appear as Smith v. Jones below and Jones v. Smith above. Whoever seeks review is the petitioner (or appellant, where review is by right rather than discretion), and the party defending the judgment is the respondent or appellee.
Also written as: respondent, appellant, appellee
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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.