Document ID: ./input/supremecourt_opinions/opinions/boundvolumes/524bv.pdf
Page Number: 286

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Cite as: 524 U. S. 236 (1998)

241

Opinion of the Court

case; and since Hohn and the Government both argue in
favor of our jurisdiction, we appointed an amicus curiae to
argue the contrary position. 522 U. S. 944 (1997).

II

Title 28 U. S. C. § 1254 is the statute most often invoked
It provides in relevant part:

for jurisdiction in this Court.

“Cases in the courts of appeals may be reviewed by

the Supreme Court by the following methods:

“(1) By writ of certiorari granted upon the petition of
any party to any civil or criminal case, before or after
rendition of judgment or decree.”

The ﬁrst phrase of the quoted statute conﬁnes our jurisdic-
tion to “[c]ases in” the courts of appeals. Nixon v. Fitzger-
ald, 457 U. S. 731, 741–742 (1982). The question is whether
an application for a certiﬁcate meets the description.

There can be little doubt that Hohn’s application for a
certiﬁcate of appealability constitutes a case under § 1254(1).
As we have noted, “[t]he words ‘case’ and ‘cause’ are con-
. , each meaning
stantly used as synonyms in statutes . .
a proceeding in court, a suit, or action.” Blyew v. United
States, 13 Wall. 581, 595 (1872). The dispute over Hohn’s
It is
entitlement to a certiﬁcate falls within this deﬁnition.
a proceeding seeking relief for an immediate and redressable
injury, i. e., wrongful detention in violation of the Constitu-
tion. There is adversity as well as the other requisite quali-
ties of a “case” as the term is used in both Article III of the
Constitution and the statute here under consideration. This
is signiﬁcant, we think, for cases are addressed in the ordi-
nary course of the judicial process, and, as a general rule,
when the district court has denied relief and applicable re-
quirements of ﬁnality have been satisﬁed, the next step is
review in the court of appeals. That the statute permits the
certiﬁcate to be issued by a “circuit justice or judge” does
not mean the action of the circuit judge in denying the cer-