Notices & Announcements

Notice of Emergency Amendment to Federal Circuit Rule 15(F)

Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2071(e) and Federal Circuit Rule 47(b), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has issued an emergency amendment to Federal Circuit Rule 15(f). The amended rule goes into effect immediately on an interim basis and will become final on January 31, 2021, absent additional action by the court.  Public comments to the Clerk of Court are due on or before January 8, 2021.  The full notice and order are available on the court’s website (pdf).

Updated Federal Circuit Rules of Practice and Fee Schedule

An updated version of the Federal Circuit Rules of Practice is now available on the court’s website (pdf).  The update incorporates the December 1, 2020 amendments to Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure 35 and 40, which do not impact the Federal Circuit’s local rules or procedures.

Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1913, the Judicial Conference of the United States has approved inflationary increases to various miscellaneous court fees, effective December 1, 2020.  An updated fee schedule is available on our website.

Notice of Continued Extension of Access Restrictions for the National Courts Building

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 January 24, 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 (pdf) is available on the court’s website.

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 January 24, 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.

Notice of Modified Procedures for Non-Electronic Filing and Submissions

Effective 12:01 a.m. (Eastern) on November 3, 2020, the Clerk’s Office is suspending access to its night drop box on H Street, NW, as well as in-person receipt of paper filings and submissions by couriers, third-party carriers, and members of the public.  Instead, parties and filers must submit any paper filings or submissions through the U.S. Postal Service to Clerk of Court, United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, 717 Madison Place, N.W., Washington, DC 20439.  This modified procedure remains in effect until further notice from the Clerk of Court. 

The Clerk’s Office remains accessible for purposes of Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 26 and Federal Circuit Rule 26 and the Clerk’s Office is continuing to provide all other services. Electronic filing access and deadlines, as well as any scheduled hearings, are unaffected.  The full administrative order is available on the court’s website (pdf). 

Notice of Court closure on November 27, 2020

The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit will be closed on Friday, November 27, 2020, in addition to the federal holiday of Thursday, November 26, 2020.  For purposes of computation of time and motions to enlarge time under Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 26 and Federal Circuit Rule 26, November 27, 2020, will be considered a “legal holiday.”  The full order is available on the court’s website (pdf).

Notice of Continued Extension of Access Restrictions for the National Courts Building

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 November 22, 2020; 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 (pdf) is available on the court’s website.

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 November 22, 2020, 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.

Notice of Updated Electronic Filing Procedures and Materials for Unrepresented Parties

Effective today, electronic filing for unrepresented parties is available.  Additionally, the Clerk’s Office has implemented several modifications to its procedures, including the resumption of public assistance by telephone.  Details of these changes were announced on September 24, 2020, and are outlined in the Notice of Modification to Clerk’s Office Procedures (PDF) and the Notice of Implementation of Electronic Filing for Unrepresented Parties (pdf). 

Updated versions of the Electronic Filing Procedures (pdf) and Guide for Unrepresented Parties (pdf), as well as additional content are now available throughout the court’s website.

Unrepresented parties interested in electronic filing must first (1) register for a Non-Attorney Electronic Filing (pdf) and (2) submit an updated Form 8B (pdf) to the Clerk’s Office before they will have the ability to file electronically.

Notice of Upcoming Modifications to Clerk’s Office Procedures

Effective October 1, 2020, the Clerk’s Office will be implementing several modifications to office procedures including finalizing electronic filing access for unrepresented parties and resuming public assistance by telephone.  Details of these changes are outlined in the Notice of Modification to Clerk’s Office Procedures (Sept. 24, 2020) (pdf) and the Notice of Implementation of Electronic Filing for Unrepresented Parties (Sept 24, 2020) (pdf) available on the court’s website.