CERTIORARI
certiorari, writ of certiorari
(noun) a common law writ issued by a superior court to one of inferior jurisdiction demanding the record of a particular case
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
certiorari (plural certioraris)
(US, legal) A grant of the right of an appeal to be heard by an appellate court where that court has discretion to choose which appeals it will hear.
(British, legal) A grant of review of a government action by a court with discretion to make such a review.
Source: Wiktionary
Cer`ti*o*ra"ri, n. Etym: [So named from the emphatic word certiorari
in the Latin form of the writ, which read certiorar volumus we wish
to be certified.] (Law)
Definition: A writ issuing out of chancery, or a superior court, to call up
the records of a inferior court, or remove a cause there depending,
in order that the party may have more sure and speedy justice, or
that errors and irreguarities may be corrected. It is obtained upon
complaint of a party that he has not received justice, or can not
have an impartial trial in the inferior court.
Note: A certiorari is the correct process to remove the proceedings
of a court in which cases are tried in a manner different from the
course of the common law, as of county commissioners. It is also used
as an auxiliary process in order to obtain a full return to some
other process. Bouvier.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition