The United States Court of Appeals for the Third 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, 3d Cir.) is a
federal court with
appellate jurisdiction over the
district courts for the following
districts:
*
District of Delaware
*
District of New Jersey
*
Eastern District of Pennsylvania
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (in case citations, E.D. Pa.) is one of the original 13 federal judiciary districts created by the Judiciary Act of 1789. It originally sat in Independence Hall in Phil ...
*
Middle District of Pennsylvania
*
Western District of Pennsylvania
This circuit also hears appeals from the
District Court of the Virgin Islands, which is an Article VI
territorial court and not a district court under Article III of the Constitution.
The court is composed of 14 active judges and is based at the
James A. Byrne United States Courthouse
The James A. Byrne United States Courthouse is a Federal courthouse in the Center City region of Philadelphia. The court houses the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and the United States District Court for the Eastern Distri ...
in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
. The court also conducts sittings in other venues, including the
United States Virgin Islands
The United States Virgin Islands,. Also called the ''American Virgin Islands'' and the ''U.S. Virgin Islands''. officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and an unincorporated and organized territory ...
. It is one of 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 ...
. Due to the court's appellate jurisdiction over
Delaware
Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...
(where more than half of publicly-traded companies in the United States incorporate), the court handles a significant number of influential commercial cases in the United States.
Current composition of the court
:
Vacancies and pending nominations
List of former judges
Chief judges
Succession of seats
See also
*
Judicial appointment history for United States federal courts#Third Circuit
*
List of current United States Circuit Judges
References
External links
*
Recent opinions from Findlaw
{{DEFAULTSORT:United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
Newark, New Jersey
1891 establishments in the United States
Courts and tribunals established in 1891