View source for U.S. courts of appeal

'''U.S. courts of appeal''' are intermediate federal appellate courts in the [[United States]].  They are intermediate courts in that they hear appeals from [[U.S. district courts|U.S. federal district courts]] and other federal trial-level courts, but their decisions may, in turn, be appealed to the [[U.S. Supreme Court]].  The United States Congress established established nine courts of appeals in the Judiciary Act of 1891. They've grown in size, and today 

Currently, there are twelve geographic circuits (1st through 11th and the [[Washington, D.C.|District of Columbia]]) and the Federal Circuit, which hears appeals from specific courts, as well as from U.S. district courts that concern certain subject matter.<ref>[http://www.uscourts.gov/courtsofappeals.html United States Courts of Appeals]</ref> The thirteen courts have a total of 179 judgeships,<ref>[http://www.uscourts.gov/JudgesAndJudgeships/FederalJudgeships.aspx Federal Judgeships]</ref> although not all of these judgeships are necessarily filled at any given time.

Federal appellate courts are governed by the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure. They generally hear cases on small panels, but may elect to hear a case ''en banc'', which is to say, with the entirety of the Circuit's appellate judges.

There are thirteen U.S. courts of appeal:
*The [[First Circuit|U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit]] (hearing appeals from federal district courts in [[Maine]], [[Massachusetts]], [[New Hampshire]], [[Puerto Rico]] and [[Rhode Island]])
*The [[Second Circuit|U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit]] (hearing appeals from federal district courts in [[Connecticut]], [[New York]] and [[Vermont]])
*The [[Third Circuit|U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit]] (hearing appeals from federal district courts in [[Delaware]], [[New Jersey]] and [[Pennsylvania]] and from the territorial court in the [[Virgin Islands]])
*The [[Fourth Circuit|U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit]] (hearing appeals from federal district courts in [[Maryland]], [[Virginia]], [[West Virginia]], [[North Carolina]] and [[South Carolina]])
*The [[Fifth Circuit|U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit]] (hearing appeals from federal district courts in [[Louisiana]], [[Mississippi]] and [[Texas]])
*The [[Sixth Circuit|U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit]] (hearing appeals from federal district courts in [[Kentucky]], [[Michigan]], [[Ohio]] and [[Tennessee]])
*The [[Seventh Circuit|U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit]] (hearing appeals from federal district courts in [[Illinois]], [[Indiana]] and [[Wisconsin]])
*The [[Eighth Circuit|U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit]] (hearing appeals from federal district courts in [[Arkansas]], [[Iowa]], [[Minnesota]], [[Missouri]], [[Nebraska]], [[North Dakota]])
*The [[Ninth Circuit|U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit]] (hearing appeals from federal district courts in [[Alaska]], [[Arizona]], [[California]], [[Hawaii]], [[Idaho]], [[Montana]], [[Nevada]], [[Oregon]] and [[Washington]], and from territorial courts in [[Guam]] and the [[Northern Mariana Islands]])
*The [[Tenth Circuit|U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit]] (hearing appeals from federal district courts in [[Colorado]], [[Kansas]], [[New Mexico]], [[Oklahoma]], [[Utah]] and [[Wyoming]])
*The [[Eleventh Circuit|U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit]] (hearing appeals from federal district courts in [[Alabama]], [[Florida]] and [[Georgia]])
*The [[D.C. Circuit|U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit]] (hearing appeals from the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia)
*The [[Federal Circuit|U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit]] (hearing appeals from the United States Court of Federal Claims, United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, United States Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, United States Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences, Boards of Contract Appeals, United States Merit Systems Protection Board and United States International Trade Commission)
==References==
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[[Category:United States Law]]
[[Category:Circuit Courts]]
[[Category:United States Government]]
[[Category:Law]]
[[Category:United States Government Agencies]]