LEGAL PRINCIPLE: APPELLATE PRACTICE – Finality of Supreme Court Judgment – Jurisdiction to Review

Supreme Court decisions are absolutely final—no higher court exists for appeal. This finality serves: (1) Legal certainty—parties know disputes are conclusively resolved; (2) Respect for judicial hierarchy—the apex court’s word is final; (3) Preventing endless litigation—disputes must end somewhere. The Supreme Court itself lacks jurisdiction to review, reconsider, or reverse its own judgments except through the slip rule (correcting clerical errors or accidental omissions). Even if the judgment was wrong, it stands unless correctable under narrow slip rule exceptions. The only avenue for relief beyond Supreme Court judgments is executive clemency (presidential/gubernatorial pardon in criminal cases). This absolute finality distinguishes Supreme Court from lower courts whose decisions are reviewable on appeal.