[Secret Agent Man]

And why does Kennedy alone have this power?

He is not even Chief Justice.

How does he get to turn it down and the rest of the court doesn’t even have time to consider it?

[Steelfish]

Kennedy is in charge of appeals coming out of the Ninth Circuit. He once served on the Ninth Circuit and is from Sacramento.

[scrabblehack]

Each justice is in charge of one or more circuits.

[scrabblehack]

As I recall if the justice in charge of your circuit turns you down you can appeal “en banc,” but those are rarely granted.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Each justice controls a certain section of the country as far as the lower federal courts are concerned. This must be Kennedy's bailiwick.