<Li> In extraordinary circumstances, the United States court of appeals can use the common law writ of prohibition under the All Writs Act to control proceedings in the district courts . </Li> <Li> Some courts have held that in rare circumstances in a federal criminal case, a United States district court may use the common law writ of error coram nobis under the All Writs Act to set aside a conviction when no other remedy is available . </Li> <Li> The United States district courts normally follow state - in the United States federal courts but are almost never used in practice . In modern times, the All Writs Act is most commonly used as authority for federal courts to issue injunctions to protect their jurisdiction or effectuate their judgments . </Li> <P> The situation in the courts of the various U.S. states varies from state to state but is often similar to that in the federal courts . Some states continue to use writ procedures, such as quo warranto, that have been abolished as a procedural matter in federal courts . </P>

Writ jurisdiction of the supreme court and high court