Latin term that means "to be informed of." Certiorari is the means by which a higher court orders a lower court to deliver to it a case record for review of the lower court's decision. Certiorari is most commonly associated with the process used by the US Supreme Court to review decisions of federal and state appellate courts on a petitioner's application. Some state appellate courts also use the term "certiorari" to reference the review of lower appellate or trial court decisions. Other state appellate courts have adopted different procedures or label the application for appeal to the court differently.