Case Filings

The Federal Circuit Rules of Practice establish the rules and procedures for how cases are handled at the Federal Circuit. The Electronic Filing Procedures provide instructions and requirements for using the court’s electronic filing system (CM/ECF) (external).

As illustrated in the below chart, the life of an appeal (pdf) in the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit consists of seven general steps.  The Clerk’s Office has prepared additional information about the following case documents.