Supreme Court Rules

PART I. THE COURT

Rule 1. Clerk 

1. The Clerk receives documents for filing with the Court 
and has authority to reject any submitted filing that does 
not comply with these Rules. 

2. The Clerk maintains the Court's records and will not 
permit any of them to be removed from the Court building 
except as authorized by the Court. Any document filed 
with the Clerk and made a part of the Court's records may 
not thereafter be withdrawn from the official Court files. 
After the conclusion of proceedings in this Court, original 
records and documents transmitted to this Court by any 
other court will be returned to the court from which they 
were received. 

3. Unless the Court or the Chief Justice orders otherwise, 
the Clerk's office is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday 
through Friday, except on federal legal holidays listed in 5 
U. S. C. § 6103. 

Rule 2. Library 

1. The Court's library is available for use by appropriate 
personnel of this Court, members of the Bar of this Court, 
Members of Congress and their legal staffs, and attorneys 
for the United States and for federal departments and 
agencies. 

2. The library's hours are governed by regulations made 
by the Librarian with the approval of the Chief Justice or 
the Court. 

3. Library books may not be removed from the Court 
building, except by a Justice or a member of a Justice's staff. 

Rule 3. Term 

The Court holds a continuous annual Term commencing on 
the first Monday in October and ending on the day before 
the first Monday in October of the following year. See 28 
U. S. C. § 2. At the end of each Term, all cases pending on 
the docket are continued to the next Term. 

Rule 4. Sessions and Quorum 

1. Open sessions of the Court are held beginning at 10 a.m. 
on the first Monday in October of each year, and thereafter 
as announced by the Court. Unless it orders otherwise, the 
Court sits to hear arguments from 10 a.m. until noon and 
from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m. 

2. Six Members of the Court constitute a quorum. See 28 
U. S. C. § 1. In the absence of a quorum on any day ap- 
pointed for holding a session of the Court, the Justices at- 
tending--or if no Justice is present, the Clerk or a Deputy 
Clerk--may announce that the Court will not meet until 
there is a quorum. 

3. When appropriate, the Court will direct the Clerk or 
the Marshal to announce recesses.