United States courts of appeals

The United States courts of appeals (or circuit courts) are the intermediate appellate courts of the Federal judiciary of the United States. A court of appeals decides appeals from the district courts within its federal judicial circuit. In some cases it decides appeals from other designated federal courts and administrative agencies.
Background
The United States courts of appeals are considered among the most powerful and influential courts in the United States. They have the ability to set legal precedent that affect millions of Americans. The United States courts of appeals have strong policy influence on U.S. law. The U.S. Supreme Court chooses to review less than 1% of the more than 10,000 cases filed with it annually. This means the United States courts of appeals makes the final decision in most federal cases. The Ninth Circuit in particular is very influential. It covers 20% of the American population.
There are currently 179 judges on the United States courts of appeals. These judges are nominated by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate. They have lifetime tenure, earning an annual salary of $213,300. There are thirteen United States courts of appeals. There are other tribunals that have "Court of Appeals" in their titles, such as the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. They hear appeals in court-martial cases. The United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims reviews final decisions by the Board of Veterans' Appeals in the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Decisions of the United States courts of appeals have been published by the private company West Publishing in the Federal Reporter series since the courts were established. Only decisions that the courts choose for publication are included. The "unpublished" opinions (of all but the Fifth and Eleventh Circuits) are published separately in West's Federal Appendix. They are also available in on-line databases like LexisNexis or Westlaw. More recently, court decisions are also available electronically on the official court websites. However, there are also a few federal court decisions that are classified for national security reasons.
U.S. Courts of appeals
There are eleven numbered circuits which are numbered one through eleven. The D.C. Circuit is the twelfth. The thirteenth court of appeals is the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. It has nationwide jurisdiction over certain appeals based on their subject matter. All of the courts of appeals also hear appeals from some government agency decisions and rulemaking. The largest share of these cases heard by the D.C. Circuit. The Federal Circuit hears appeals from specialized trial courts. These are primarily the United States Court of International Trade and the United States Court of Federal Claims. They also hear appeals from the district courts in patent cases and certain other specialized matters.
List of courts
United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (1st Cir.), 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.), 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. ), 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.), 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.), 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.), 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.), 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.), 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.), 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.), 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.), 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.), may sit in any courthouse or law school
Article I tribunals
Article III tribunals
Congressional Office of Compliance
United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (D.C. Cir.), Washington, D.C.