How long is the appeals process in the US Supreme Court?

When the US Supreme Court reviews a case under its appellate jurisdiction, the total time allocated for oral arguments (what would correspond to a trial in a District Court) is one hour, or 30 minutes for each side. For the most part, the Justices review the case records and lower Court opinions. Appellate Justices are not finders of fact; they don't make decisions based on material evidence, but on how appropriately the lower court judges applied the law.

According to published articles and the Court's own records, it takes about six weeks from the receipt of a petition for a writ of certiorari to a decision about whether to hear the case, and about six months total to prepare for oral arguments.

Once a case is heard, emergency cases are usually decided in a few days; non-emergent cases may take anywhere from three to thirty weeks before the Justices release a decision, although the verdict in most is determined in 14-16 weeks.

When the Supreme Court hears a case under its original jurisdiction (for example, in a dispute between two states), the case is initially reviewed by a Special Master who then makes a recommendation to the Court. This allows for some semblance of an appellate process.