The Honorable Kimberly A. Moore will become Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on May 22, 2021. She will succeed the Honorable Sharon Prost who has served as Chief Judge since May 31, 2014. The full announcement is available on the court’s website (pdf).
Following last month’s pilot program, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit will offer live audio streaming of all arguments on the court’s YouTube channel (external). Beginning with the April 2021 session, all scheduled arguments will be available through this channel and the court will no longer provide teleconference numbers for public access. The court anticipates that all oral arguments will be audio streamed online while the courthouse remains closed to the public in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recordings of all arguments will continue to be available on the court’s website after the conclusion of arguments each day.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the United States Court of Federal Claims have entered a new joint order extending their prior administrative order of June 26, 2020, concerning access to the National Courts Building complex in Washington, D.C. Effective immediately, building access will continue to remain limited to court staff through April 30, 2021; however, requests for access will still be handled on a case-by-case basis when submitted in writing at least 24 hours ahead of time. The full administrative order is available on the court’s website (pdf).
Requests for access relating to Federal Circuit business or spaces within the National Courts Building may be submitted in writing to the Circuit Executive’s Office at FSO_helpdesk@cafc.uscourts.gov. These restrictions will remain in effect through April 30, 2021, unless modified sooner.
To review ongoing updates and information about the Federal Circuit’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, please go to the court’s COVID-19 information page.
Due to an extended maintenance window for the court’s electronic filing system (CM/ECF), the CM/ECF system will be unavailable on Saturday, March 27, 2021, from 6:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. (Eastern). While the system may be available for intermittent accessing of documents, filers should not attempt to file any new documents with the court during this maintenance window.
The Honorable Evan J. Wallach has announced he will retire from active service and assume senior status, effective May 31, 2021.
Judge Wallach has served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit since November 18, 2011, following his appointment by President Barack Obama and confirmation by the Senate. Prior to his appointment, Judge Wallach served for sixteen years as a judge of the U.S. Court of International Trade. Judge Wallach’s full biography is available on the court’s website.
Pursuant to the court’s December 9, 2020 public notice (pdf), an updated edition of the Federal Circuit Rules is now available on the court’s website (pdf). This edition incorporates the emergency amendment to Federal Circuit Rule 15(f).
The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the United States Court of Federal Claims have entered a new joint order extending their prior administrative order of June 26, 2020, concerning access to the National Courts Building complex in Washington, D.C. Effective immediately, building access will continue to remain limited to court staff through March 31, 2021; however, requests for access will still be handled on a case-by-case basis when submitted in writing at least 24 hours ahead of time. The full administrative order is available on the court’s website (pdf).
Requests for access relating to Federal Circuit business or spaces within the National Courts Building may be submitted in writing to the Circuit Executive’s Office at FSO_helpdesk@cafc.uscourts.gov. These restrictions will remain in effect through March 31, 2021, unless modified sooner.
To review ongoing updates and information about the Federal Circuit’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, please go to the court’s COVID-19 information page.
As part of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the court will begin offering a new live audio streaming program for select oral argument panels starting with the March 2021 court session. Beginning in the March 2021 court session, one scheduled argument panel will have daily live streaming audio on the Federal Circuit’s new YouTube channel (external). Beginning in the April 2021 court session, the court anticipates that all oral arguments will be live audio streamed online while the courthouse remains closed to the public.
For the March 2021 session, Panels B, E, H, K, and N will only be available through the online audio stream. Live audio access for all other scheduled argument panels will continue through the existing telephonic conference process that has been in effect since April 2020.
Connection information for all panels is posted on the court’s website by 9:00 a.m. (Eastern) on the first day of the month’s session. Recordings of all arguments continue to be available on the court’s website after the conclusion of arguments each day. The full notice is available on the court’s website (pdf).