Appeals Courts
Congress has empowered the U.S. courts of appeal to review all final decisions of the district courts, except in rare instances in which the law provides for direct review by the Supreme Court. Courts of appeal also have the authority to review and enforce order of many federal regulatory agencies.
The United States is divided into 12 judicial circuits. Each court of appeal normally hears cases in rotating panels consisting of three judges but may sit with all judges present in particularly important cases. Courts of appeal focus on correcting errors of procedure and law that occurred in the original proceedings of legal cases. These courts are appellate courts and therefore hold no trials and hear no testimony. Their decisions set precedent for all the courts and agencies within their jurisdiction. |
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