cert.
Abbreviation with 3 meanings
| Stands for | Certiorari |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 3 |
| Categories | Law & Legal, Government & Politics, Technology & Computing |
| Also written | CERT |
cert. has three meanings. The most common are Certiorari (Latin legal) and Community Emergency Response Team (emergency services); it can also stand for Computer Emergency Response Team.
Meanings of cert. at a glance
| # | cert. stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Certiorari | Law & Legal › Latin Legal |
| 2 | Community Emergency Response Team | Government & Politics › Emergency Services |
| 3 | Computer Emergency Response Team | Technology & Computing › Cybersecurity |
1. Certiorari
Law & Legal · Latin Legal Abbreviations
Writ by which a higher court, most notably the US Supreme Court, agrees to review a lower court's decision. Lawyers speak of filing a "cert. petition" or the Court "granting cert.", and the Supreme Court hears most of its cases this way.
Example: The losing party has 90 days from the judgment to file a cert. petition in the Supreme Court.
From Latin "certiorari volumus", "we wish to be made certain". Supreme Court Rule 10 lists the considerations for granting review, chiefly conflicts among lower courts on important federal questions. Under the Rule of Four, four justices' votes suffice. In speech the period is dropped ("cert") and it is pronounced "sert".
2. Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
Government & Politics · Emergency Services Abbreviations
Program that trains volunteers in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue and first aid, so they can help their neighborhoods when professional responders are overwhelmed.
Example: Our neighborhood CERT checked on elderly residents after the earthquake.
The concept was developed by the Los Angeles Fire Department in 1985, after the Mexico City earthquake showed the role of untrained volunteers. FEMA adopted it nationally in 1993. In computing, CERT refers to computer emergency response teams.
3. Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT)
Technology & Computing · Cybersecurity Abbreviations
A team that coordinates responses to cybersecurity incidents and vulnerabilities for an organization, sector or country, issuing advisories and helping victims. Many countries run a national CERT.
Example: The national CERT issued an advisory urging hospitals to patch the VPN flaw immediately.
The first, the CERT Coordination Center at Carnegie Mellon University, was created with DARPA funding in November 1988 after the Morris worm. "CERT" is a registered trademark of Carnegie Mellon, so many teams use the generic CSIRT, computer security incident response team. The US national team became US-CERT in 2003 and was later folded into CISA.
Related abbreviations
More Latin legal abbreviations
- c.t.a. – Cum testamento annexo (with the will annexed)
- Cur. adv. vult – Curia advisari vult (the court wishes to consider)
- d.b.n. – De bonis non (of goods not administered)
- et ux. – Et uxor (and wife)
- ex p. – Ex parte (on the application of)
- ex rel. – Ex relatione (on the relation of)
- fi. fa. – Fieri facias (that you cause to be made)
- habeas – Habeas corpus (you should have the body)
See all 22 Latin legal abbreviations →
More emergency services abbreviations
- BC – Battalion chief
- BLEVE – Boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion
- CAD – Computer-aided dispatch
- CBRN – Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear
- DMAT – Disaster Medical Assistance Team
- E911 – Enhanced 911
- EAS – Emergency Alert System
- ECC – Emergency communications center
See all 72 emergency services abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not legal advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.