United States courts of appeals facts for kids
The United States courts of appeals are also called circuit courts. They are a very important part of the U.S. court system. These courts hear appeals from decisions made by the lower district courts. They also hear appeals from some other federal courts and government groups.
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What Are Courts of Appeals?
The United States courts of appeals are very powerful. They help shape the law in the United States. Their decisions can affect millions of Americans.
The U.S. Supreme Court reviews very few cases each year. This means that the courts of appeals often make the final decision. For example, the Ninth Circuit is very important. It covers about 20% of the American population.
Judges and Their Role
There are 179 judges who work in the courts of appeals. The President of the United States chooses these judges. Then the United States Senate must approve them.
These judges serve for their entire lives. They earn a good salary each year. There are thirteen United States courts of appeals in total.
Some other courts also have "Court of Appeals" in their name. For example, the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces hears appeals from military cases. The United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims reviews decisions about veterans' benefits.
Decisions from the courts of appeals are usually made public. A company called West Publishing has been publishing them for a long time. These decisions are found in books called the Federal Reporter.
Only decisions that the courts choose to publish are included. Other decisions are available online. You can find them on websites like LexisNexis or Westlaw. Also, many court decisions are now available on the official court websites. However, some federal court decisions are kept secret for national security reasons.
Types of U.S. Courts of Appeals
There are eleven numbered courts of appeals, from one to eleven. The D.C. Circuit is the twelfth court. The thirteenth court is the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
The Federal Circuit handles special types of appeals. These appeals are based on the topic of the case. All courts of appeals also hear appeals from some government agency decisions. The D.C. Circuit hears most of these cases.
The Federal Circuit also hears appeals from special trial courts. These include the United States Court of International Trade and the United States Court of Federal Claims. They also hear appeals from district courts in patent cases and other special areas.
List of Courts and Their Areas
Here is a list of the courts of appeals and the areas they cover:
- United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (1st Cir.), in Boston, Massachusetts
- District of Maine
- District of Massachusetts
- District of New Hampshire
- District of Puerto Rico
- District of Rhode Island
- United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (2nd Cir.), in New York City, New York
- District of Connecticut
- Eastern District of New York
- Northern District of New York
- Southern District of New York
- Western District of New York
- District of Vermont
- United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit (3rd Cir.), in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- District of Delaware
- District of New Jersey
- Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- Middle District of Pennsylvania
- Western District of Pennsylvania
- United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (4th Cir.), in Richmond, Virginia
- District of Maryland
- Eastern District of North Carolina
- Middle District of North Carolina
- Western District of North Carolina
- District of South Carolina
- Eastern District of Virginia
- Western District of Virginia
- Northern District of West Virginia
- Southern District of West Virginia
- United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (5th Cir.), in New Orleans, Louisiana
- Eastern District of Louisiana
- Middle District of Louisiana
- Western District of Louisiana
- Northern District of Mississippi
- Southern District of Mississippi
- Eastern District of Texas
- Northern District of Texas
- Southern District of Texas
- Western District of Texas
- United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (6th Cir.), in Cincinnati, Ohio
- Eastern District of Kentucky
- Western District of Kentucky
- Eastern District of Michigan
- Western District of Michigan
- Northern District of Ohio
- Southern District of Ohio
- Eastern District of Tennessee
- Middle District of Tennessee
- Western District of Tennessee
- United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (7th Cir.), in Chicago, Illinois
- Central District of Illinois
- Northern District of Illinois
- Southern District of Illinois
- Northern District of Indiana
- Southern District of Indiana
- Eastern District of Wisconsin
- Western District of Wisconsin
- United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit (8th Cir.), in St. Louis, Missouri
- Eastern District of Arkansas
- Western District of Arkansas
- Northern District of Iowa
- Southern District of Iowa
- District of Minnesota
- Eastern District of Missouri
- Western District of Missouri
- District of Nebraska
- District of North Dakota
- District of South Dakota
- United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (9th Cir.), in San Francisco, California
- District of Alaska
- District of Arizona
- Central District of California
- Eastern District of California
- Northern District of California
- Southern District of California
- District of Hawaii
- District of Idaho
- District of Montana
- District of Nevada
- District of Oregon
- Eastern District of Washington
- Western District of Washington
- District of Guam
- District of the Northern Mariana Islands
- United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (10th Cir.), in Denver, Colorado
- District of Colorado
- District of Kansas
- District of New Mexico
- Eastern District of Oklahoma
- Northern District of Oklahoma
- Western District of Oklahoma
- District of Utah
- District of Wyoming
- United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit (11th Cir.), in Atlanta, Georgia
- Middle District of Alabama
- Northern District of Alabama
- Southern District of Alabama
- Middle District of Florida
- Northern District of Florida
- Southern District of Florida
- Middle District of Georgia
- Northern District of Georgia
- Southern District of Georgia
- United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (Fed. Cir.), can meet anywhere
- Special federal courts
- Congressional Office of Compliance
- United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (D.C. Cir.), in Washington, D.C.
- United States District Court for the District of Columbia
See also
In Spanish: Cortes de apelaciones de Estados Unidos para niños
