L.A.R. Misc. 112.6: The Petition for Writ of Certiorari

(a) The petition for writ of certiorari must contain, in the following order:

(1) a table of contents;

(2) a table of authorities, including citations to the relevant constitutional provisions, treaties, statutes, ordinances, and regulations;

(3) a concise statement of the ground on which the jurisdiction of this court is invoked, with citations to applicable statutes and stating relevant facts establishing the finality of the order. The jurisdictional statement must also include the date of entry of the judgment sought to be reviewed, the date of any orders respecting rehearing, and, in the case of a cross-petition for a writ of certiorari, the date of the filing of the petition for a writ of certiorari;

(4) a concise statement, with citations to appropriate statutes, of the basis of jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands and of the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands.

(5) the questions presented for review, expressed concisely in relation to the circumstances of the case. The statement of the questions should not be argumentative or repetitious. The statement of a question presented will be deemed to comprise every subsidiary question fairly included therein. Only the questions set forth in the petition or fairly included therein will be considered by the court;

(6) A concise statement of the case containing the facts material to the consideration of the questions presented. The first paragraph of the statement of the case must specify the denomination of each of the parties as they appeared in the Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands and the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands. The statement of the case must specify, with appropriate citation to the record, the stage in the proceedings, both in the Superior Court and the Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands, at which the questions sought to be reviewed were raised and the ruling thereon;

(7) a direct and concise argument amplifying the reasons why the questions for review are important enough to warrant issuance of the writ;

(8) a short conclusion, which must include a statement of the specific relief requested if the writ of certiorari is granted.

(b) All contentions in support of a petition for writ of certiorari must be set forth in the body of the petition, as provided by this rule. No separate brief in support of a petition for a writ of certiorari will be received, and the clerk will refuse to file any petition for a writ of certiorari to which is annexed or appended any supporting brief.

(c) Any reason for expedited treatment or request for interim relief must be made by separate motion. The requirement in Rule 8, FRAP, that a request for stay or injunction pending appeal must first be made to the court below will be strictly enforced. Any motion for stay or injunction must attach the order of the Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands disposing of the motion for stay or injunction made to it in the first instance.

L.A.R. 112.1 - 112.14 were enacted in 2007. The rules were amended in 2008 to provide for electronic filing.