What are circuit courts?

Circuit courts, formally called the United States Courts of Appeals, are the federal appellate courts that review decisions made by the federal district courts. There are 13 federal circuit courts. Twelve of them cover specific geographic regions of the country, and the thirteenth, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, has nationwide jurisdiction over specialized cases involving patents, international trade, and certain claims against the federal government.

The 12 regional circuits are numbered First through Eleventh, plus the District of Columbia Circuit, and each covers several states or U.S. territories. The First Circuit, headquartered in Boston, includes Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Puerto Rico. The Second Circuit, in New York City, covers New York, Connecticut, and Vermont. The Ninth Circuit, the largest in geographic and population terms, includes nine western states (Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington) plus the territories of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. The D.C. Circuit, based in Washington, D.C., handles many cases involving federal regulations and government agencies and is often considered the second most influential federal court after the Supreme Court because of the range of agency cases it hears.

Circuit courts hear appeals from federal district courts and federal administrative agencies within their jurisdictions. Cases are normally heard by panels of three judges drawn from a larger pool of active and senior judges on each circuit. Decisions are made by majority vote of the panel. Important cases can be reheard en banc, meaning a larger group (usually all the active judges on the circuit) reconsiders the panel decision.

Circuit court decisions are binding on all federal district courts within the circuit, but each circuit can decide its own approach to legal questions. When circuits disagree on a federal legal issue, the resulting circuit split often prompts the Supreme Court to take up the question. Circuit court judges are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, and they serve for life during good behavior. There are 179 active judgeships across the 13 circuits, plus senior judges who continue to hear cases. Many Supreme Court justices have been promoted from the circuit courts. Circuit courts handle roughly 50,000 cases per year.