The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (in
case citations, 1st Cir.) is a
federal court with
appellate jurisdiction
A court of appeals, also called a court of appeal, appellate court, appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to hear an appeal of a trial court or other lower tribunal. In much of t ...
over the
district courts in the following
districts
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
:
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District of Maine
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District of Massachusetts
The United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts (in case citations, D. Mass.) is the federal district court whose territorial jurisdiction is the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The first court session was hel ...
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District of New Hampshire
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District of Puerto Rico
The United States District Court for the District of Puerto Rico (in case citations, D.P.R.; es, Tribunal del Distrito de Puerto Rico) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction comprises the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The court is b ...
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District of Rhode Island
The United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island (in case citations, D.R.I.) is the federal district court whose jurisdiction is the state of Rhode Island. The District Court was created in 1790 when Rhode Island ratified the ...
The court is based at the
John Joseph Moakley Federal Courthouse in
Boston, Massachusetts. Most sittings are held in Boston, where the court usually sits for one week most months of the year; in one of July or August, it takes a summer break and does not sit. The First Circuit also sits for one week each March and November at the
Jose V. Toledo Federal Building and United States Courthouse in
Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, and occasionally sits at other locations within the circuit.
With six active judges and four active senior judges, the First Circuit has the fewest judges of any of the thirteen
United States courts of appeals. Since retiring from the
United States Supreme Court,
Associate Justice David Souter regularly sits on the First Circuit
by designation.
Current composition of the court
:
Vacancies and pending nominations
List of former judges
Chief judges
Succession of seats
Notable decisions
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West v. Randall'' (1820), one of the first decisions setting precedent for class action suits
See also
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Courts of the United States
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Judicial appointment history for United States federal courts#First Circuit
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List of current United States Circuit Judges
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List of United States federal courthouses in the First Circuit
Following is a list of United States federal courthouses, which will comprise all courthouses currently or formerly in use for the housing of United States federal courts. Each entry indicates the name of the building along with an image, if avai ...
References
;Specific
;General
:*
External links
United States Court of Appeals for the First CircuitRecent opinions from FindlawFirst Circuit Court Records Finder
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{{DEFAULTSORT:United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
1891 establishments in the United States
Courts and tribunals established in 1891