The United States courts of appeals are the intermediate appellate courts of the United States federal judiciary. They hear appeals of cases from the United States district courts and some U.S. administrative agencies, and their decisions can be appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States. The courts of appeals are divided into 13 "Circuits". Eleven of the circuits are numbered "First" through "Eleventh" and cover geographic areas of the United States and hear appeals from the U.S. district courts within their borders. The District of Columbia Circuit covers only Washington, DC. The Federal Circuit hears appeals from federal courts across the entire United States in cases involving certain specialized areas of law.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces is an Article I court that exercises worldwide appellate jurisdiction over members of the United States Armed Forces on active duty and other persons subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The court is composed of five civilian judges appointed for 15-year terms by the president of the United States with the advice and consent of the United States Senate. The court reviews decisions from the intermediate appellate courts of the services: the Army Court of Criminal Appeals, the Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals, the Coast Guard Court of Criminal Appeals, and the Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit is one of the 13 United States courts of appeals. It has appellate jurisdiction over certain categories of specialized cases in the U.S. federal court system. Specifically, it has exclusive appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal cases involving patents, trademark registrations, government contracts, veterans' benefits, public safety officers' benefits, federal employees' benefits, and various other types of cases. The Federal Circuit has no jurisdiction over criminal, bankruptcy, immigration, or U.S. state law cases. It is headquartered at the Howard T. Markey National Courts Building in Washington, DC.
The United States Tax Court is a federal trial court of record established by Congress under Article I of the U.S. Constitution, section 8 of which provides that the Congress has the power to "constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court". The Tax Court specializes in adjudicating disputes over federal income tax, generally prior to the time at which formal tax assessments are made by the Internal Revenue Service.
Francis M. Jackson is an American veterans law and personal injury attorney who is also an authority on Social Security disability. He has practiced law since 1977 and is a founding partner in the law firm of Jackson & MacNichol.
The Administrative Office of the United States Courts, or the Administrative Office (AO) for short, is the administrative agency of the United States federal court system, established in 1939. The central support entity for the federal judicial branch, the AO provides a wide range of legislative, administrative, legal, financial, management, program, and information technology support services to the federal courts.
Harry Pregerson was a United States circuit judge appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit by President Jimmy Carter in 1979.
The Court of Claims was a federal court that heard claims against the United States government. It was established in 1855, renamed in 1948 to the United States Court of Claims, and abolished in 1982. Then, its jurisdiction was assumed by the newly created United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and United States Claims Court, which was later renamed the Court of Federal Claims.
Jerry Edwin Smith is an American attorney and jurist serving as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Alan George Lance Sr. is an American attorney, politician, and jurist who serves as a senior judge of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. Lance previously served as the Idaho Attorney General and as a member of the Idaho House of Representatives.
Lawrence Bain Hagel is an American lawyer and judge. He was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims by President George W. Bush in December 2003. He became Chief Judge in August 2015. He assumed senior status on October 8, 2016.
Bruce Edward Kasold is an American lawyer and former judge. He was appointed as a judge to the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims by President George W. Bush in December 2003. He served as the chief judge of the Court from August 2010 to August 2015. Kasold is a graduate of Bishop McGann-Mercy Diocesan High School in Riverhead, New York. He earned his undergraduate degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1973, and his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Law School in 1979. Kasold also earned a Master of Laws from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1982 and a Master of Laws equivalent from the Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School in 1984.
The Board of Veterans' Appeals (BVA) is an administrative tribunal within the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), located in Washington, D.C. Established by Executive Order on July 28, 1933, the Board reviews and makes decisions on appeals concerning veterans' benefits. Its mission is to conduct hearings and issue decisions promptly, ensuring all relevant evidence and applicable laws and regulations are considered to provide fair outcomes for veterans, their dependents, and survivors. The Board operates on behalf of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
The Civil Justice Reform Act is a U.S. federal law enacted in 1990. It was the last major expansion of the Federal US Judiciary. Federal Judges in the United States have lifetime tenure and, although each district judge is marginally supervised by a chief judge, there was little national oversight of each judge's case management practices. Congress enacted CJRA in response to complaints of significant delays in the resolution of civil litigation in the federal courts; the CJRA was designed to encourage the speedy resolution of civil matters by requiring the Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts to prepare and publish a semi-annual report showing, by U.S. district judge and magistrate judge, all motions pending more than six months, all bench trials submitted more than six months, all bankruptcy appeals pending more than six months, all Social Security appeal cases pending more than six months, and all civil cases pending more than three years.
The Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) is an administrative law body of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) which decides issues of patentability. It was formed on September 16, 2012, as one part of the America Invents Act. Prior to its formation, the main judicial body in the USPTO was the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences (BPAI).
The All Circuit Review Extension Act is an Act that extended for three years the authority for federal employees who appeal a judgment of the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) to file their appeal at any federal court, instead of only the U.S. Court of Appeals. This was a pilot program established in the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act of 2012 to last only two years.
Michael Patrick Allen is an American lawyer and academic who serves as the chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. Prior becoming a judge, he was a professor of law and director of the Veterans Law Institute at Stetson University College of Law.
Joseph Leo Falvey Jr. is an American lawyer who serves as a judge of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.
Daniel Paul Collins is a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
