Notices & Announcements

Notice of 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 joint order extending their prior administrative orders 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, 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 until September 14, 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 New Federal Circuit Rules, Court Forms and Guides, Taxation of Cost Rates, and Scheduled Electronic Filing for Unrepresented Parties

The July 1, 2020 amendments to the Federal Circuit Rules go into effect today.  The final version of the Federal Circuit Rules (July 1, 2020) (pdf) is available on the court’s website and will apply to all cases filed or pending on or after July 1, 2020, to the extent practicable.  The court has also adopted changes to many of its official forms, which should be used, as required, for any filings made on or after July 1, 2020.  All updated and existing forms are located on the court’s website.

As part of the implementation of these amendments, the Clerk’s Office has issued updated versions of the Electronic Filing Procedures (pdf), Guide for Oral Argument (pdf), Guide for Unrepresented Parties (pdf) (formerly “Guide for Pro Se Appellants and Petitioners”), and additional content throughout the court’s website.  

Based on new provisions in the Rules, the Clerk of Court has also issued two notices.  The first notice (pdf) sets the maximum rate of taxation of costs pursuant to Fed. Cir. R. 39(c); these rates are unchanged from those in effect before July 1, 2020, and update the available taxation items based on the current paper brief copy requirements under the Rules.  The second notice (pdf) provides that electronic filing for unrepresented parties will be available beginning October 1, 2020; in the interim, the Clerk’s Office will continue to provide modified electronic filing and service procedures consistent with Administrative Order 20-01 (March 20, 2020).

Public Access for Arguments

Given the extraordinary public health emergencies in the National Capital Region and the resulting restrictions on public access to the courthouse, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit is providing media and public access to the audio stream of each panel scheduled for argument during the court’s monthly sessions. 

The below streaming audio feeds begin at approximately 9:30 a.m. (Eastern) each scheduled day of argument.  Attendees should plan to connect to the feed no later than 9:45 a.m. since arguments may start before 10:00 a.m.  Recordings of all arguments will be posted on the court’s website after the conclusion of arguments each day.

Federal Circuit Audio Stream (external)

Availability of Live Audio Access to April 2020 Court Session

Due to the declaration of public health emergencies in the National Capital Region, the court will be providing media and public access to the live audio of each panel scheduled for argument during the April 2020 session.  Access information for each panel will be posted on the court’s website by 9:00 a.m. (Eastern) each day of argument, with the conference lines available for connection starting at 9:15 a.m.  Recordings of all arguments will be posted on the court’s website after the conclusion of arguments each day.  The full advisory is available here (pdf).

Notice of Court Closure on December 24, 2019

The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit will be closed on Tuesday, December 24, 2019, in addition to the federal holiday of Wednesday, December 25, 2019.  For purposes of computation of time and motions to enlarge time under Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 26 and Federal Circuit Rule 26, December 24, 2019, will be considered a “legal holiday.” Click here (pdf) for the order.

Filer Guidance Concerning 2019 Amendments to the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure

On December 2, 2019, the court will issue an updated version of the Federal Circuit Rules of Practice incorporating any adopted amendments to the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure.  Filers are advised that to the extent that the December 2019 Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure amendments eliminate the proof of service requirement for electronic filing, beginning December 1, 2019, the Federal Circuit will no longer treat as non-compliant electronically-filed documents that otherwise comply with the proof of service requirements of amended Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 25(d).  The full notice is available here (pdf).

Updated Electronic Filing Procedures and Notice of Docketing Form

The Clerk’s Office has released an updated version of the Electronic Filing Procedures, which is now available on the court’s website.  A summary of the changes are listed on the revision control page.  In addition, the Clerk’s Office has updated the format of its Notices of Docketing, which will now include providing parties with the official and the short captions.  This new format will be used on cases opened on or after October 1, 2019.

Notice of Fee Schedule Change

Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1914(b), the Judicial Conference of the United States has approved a new fee of $47.00 for the issuance of an apostille beginning October 1, 2019.  An updated and expanded fee schedule will be available on our website as of that date.