certified question
Definitions from Case Law · United States Supreme Court
Definitions from Case Law
From 205 U.S. 444 - Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railway Co. v. Williams · 1907Most cited · 44 citing opinions
proper form
Each question certified must be a distinct point or proposition of law, clearly stated, so that it could be definitely answered without regard to other issues of law or of fact in the case. ... The points certified must be questions of law only, and not questions of fact, or of mixed law and fact.
How often courts cite the cases defining “certified question”
Court decisions citing the 2 opinions that defined “certified question” — 69 in all, by decade. Counts are citations to the defining cases as a whole, not verified uses of the term. The dip in the most recent years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the latest years.
All 2 definitions, chronological · 1907–1934
questions submitted must be questions of law and not mixed questions of law and fact, and not such as involve or imply conclusions or judgment by the Court upon the effect of facts adduced in the cause, and must be distinct and definite. The Court cannot be called upon to answer questions of objectionable generality, or to review proceedings, facts, and circumstances for the purpose of deciding a variety of preliminary questions in order to reach and decide an ultimate question submitted.