Answer:
The cases are heard by the Supreme Court only if four of the nine sitting judges vote for the case to be heard by the Supreme Court.
Step-by-step explanation:
Not all matters that are brought in front of the Supreme Court are worth its time. Thus, the nine justices that work as subordinates to the Supreme Court decide whether a matter is worthy enough to be heard by the Supreme Court/Chief Justice.
Thus, for a case to be heard by the Supreme Court, the 'Writ of Certiorari' needs to be granted by at least four subordinate justices.