Changes

Only about 1% of petitions for cert are granted.<ref>{{Citation | title = An Empirical Analysis of Supreme Court Certiorari Petition Procedures | url = http://www.law.gmu.edu/assets/subsites/gmulawreview/files/16-2/01-WACHTELL.pdf | title = An Empirical Analysis of Supreme Court Certiorari Petition Procedures | year = 2009 | journal = George Mason University Law Review | pages = 237, 241 | volume = 16 | issue = 2 | last1 = Thompson | first1 = David C. | last2 = Wachtell | first2 = Melanie F. | accessdate = 2009-04-07 }}</ref> The U.S. Supreme Court declines review in about 99% of the cases presented to it. Moreover, of the less than 100 petitions granted each year, many of them are on obscure legal issues having little importance. The Supreme Court prefers to take cases to resolve a conflict between the Circuit Courts, otherwise known as "circuit split" or "split in the circuits." This preference can result in taking a higher percentage of insignificant issues than one would expect, such as a variety of claims by prisoners or unusual assertions of a right to free speech.