The Supreme Court receives about 10,000 petitions per year. It only hears about 80-100 cases annually, but boy, do they come with a lot of paperwork.

The approximately 1,400 amicus curiae briefs, or friend of the court briefs, it receives every year surely play an important part in providing the justices with perspective. These briefs serve to bolster a point of view in favor of one side or the other, or sometimes to point out an aspect of the case an organization thinks should be analyzed through the lens of certain legal precedents. While amicus briefs don’t have as much sway as oral arguments, the justices do read some of them after their clerks have waded through to find those that are the most important. Often, amicus briefs can provide slightly different information or demonstrate one side’s case in a unique way.