The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (in
case citation
Case citation is a system used by legal professionals to identify past court case decisions, either in series of books called reporters or law reports, or in a neutral style that identifies a decision regardless of where it is reported. Case ci ...
s, 4th Cir.) is a
federal court located in
Richmond, Virginia
(Thus do we reach the stars)
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, map_caption = Location within Virginia
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, 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 ...
:
*
District of Maryland
*
Eastern District of North Carolina
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina (in case citations, E.D.N.C.) is the United States district court that serves the eastern 44 counties in North Carolina. Appeals from the Eastern District of North Caroli ...
*
Middle District of North Carolina
*
Western District of North Carolina
The United States District Court for the Western District of North Carolina (in case citations, W.D.N.C.) is a federal district court which covers the western third of North Carolina.
Appeals from the Western District of North Carolina are tak ...
*
District of South Carolina
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Eastern District of Virginia
*
Western District of Virginia
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Northern District of West Virginia
*
Southern District of West Virginia
The United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia (in case citations, S.D. W. Va.) is a federal court in the Fourth Circuit (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are ...
The court is based at the
Lewis F. Powell Jr. United States Courthouse
The Lewis F. Powell Jr. United States Courthouse, also known as the U.S. Post Office and Customhouse, is a historic custom house, post office and courthouse located in Richmond, Virginia. Originally constructed in 1858, it was for decades a courtho ...
in
Richmond, Virginia
(Thus do we reach the stars)
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. With 15 authorized judgeships, it is mid-sized among the 13
United States Courts of Appeals
The United States courts of appeals are the intermediate appellate courts of the United States federal judiciary. The courts of appeals are divided into 11 numbered circuits that cover geographic areas of the United States and hear appeals fr ...
.
__TOC__
Current composition of the court
:
Vacancies and pending nominations
List of former judges
Chief judges
Succession of seats
Practice in the 4th Circuit
From 2000 to 2008, the Court had the highest rate of non-publication (92%) on the Federal Circuit.
The
Chief Justice is always assigned to the Fourth Circuit as the circuit advisory justice, due to Richmond's close proximity to Washington, D.C.
The Fourth Circuit is considered an extremely collegial court. By tradition, the Judges of the Fourth Circuit come down from the bench following each
oral argument
Oral arguments are spoken presentations to a judge or appellate court by a lawyer (or parties when representing themselves) of the legal reasons why they should prevail. Oral argument at the appellate level accompanies written briefs, which also a ...
to greet the lawyers.
See also
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Judicial appointment history for the Fourth Circuit
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List of current United States circuit judges
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Same-sex marriage in the Fourth Circuit
On July 28, 2014 the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a ruling in ''Bostic v. Schaefer'' striking down Virginia's same-sex marriage ban which is a precedent for every state within the circuit. The ruling would have gone into effect on Augu ...
References
External links
United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth CircuitRecent opinions from Findlaw
{{DEFAULTSORT:United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Organizations based in Richmond, Virginia
Baltimore
Charleston, West Virginia
Alexandria, Virginia
Government of Raleigh, North Carolina
1891 establishments in the United States
Courts and tribunals established in 1891