Notices & Announcements

Notice of Adopted Amendments to the Federal Circuit Rules of Practice

Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2071(b) and Federal Circuit Rule 47(a), the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has adopted amendments to Federal Circuit Rules of Practice 25, 26, 27, 28, 28.1, 30, 31, 32, 33, 33.1, 34, 35, 39, 40, 41, 47.4, 47.5, and 47.6. The court received and reviewed public comments on the proposed amendments, and the court has ordered the adoption of the proposed amendments, as amended, effective March 1, 2023.

The court’s website contains the court’s order adopting these amendments, a draft proof copy of the Federal Circuit Rules of Practice, a summary of the adopted amendments, and an explanation of substantive modifications to the proposed amendments following the public comment period.

The final version of the Federal Circuit Rules of Practice incorporating these amendments will be available on the court’s website by February 27, 2023.  As part of the implementation of these amendments, the Clerk’s Office will be providing additional information and updates to materials on the court’s website, including court forms, by March 1, 2023.

The full notice is available on the court’s website.

Notice of Proposed Amendments to the Federal Circuit Rules of Practice

Pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 2071(b) and Federal Circuit Rule 47(a), the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit gives notice that it proposes to amend Federal Circuit Rules of Practice 26, 30, 31, 33, 33.1, 34, 39, and 47.6 and the Practice Notes to Rules 34, 42, 47.5, and 47.6.  The proposed amendments are available on the court’s website. If adopted, the amendments would take effect on March 1, 2023.  On that date, the court may also implement previously deferred amendments.  Please refer to the court’s notice issued November 17, 2022.

Public comments must be received by the Clerk of Court on or before February 21, 2023, and may be submitted by email or by mail to Proposed Rules Comments 2023, Clerk’s Office, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, 717 Madison Place, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20439.

Updated Court Session Calendars

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has approved updates to the 2022-2023 session calendar for July and adopted the new 2023-2024 session calendar. Both calendars are available on the court’s website.

Service Availability for December 14, 2022

On December 14, 2022, the Clerk’s Office and Circuit Library will be temporarily unavailable for public services and support from 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. (Eastern).

Updated Federal Circuit Rules of Practice

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, 2022 amendments to Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure 25 and 42, which do not impact the Federal Circuit’s local rules or procedures.

Notice of Deferral of Adoption of Federal Circuit Rules of Practice

In accordance with 28 U.S.C. § 2071, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit gave notice of proposed amendments to the Federal Circuit Rules of Practice on September 2, 2022, with an anticipated effective date of December 1, 2022.  In light of received public comments, the Federal Circuit is now deferring the adoption of those proposed amendments until a later date.  Instead, on December 1, 2022, the court will post only a revised version of the Federal Circuit Rules of Practice that incorporates new amendments to Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure 25 and 42, which do not impact this court’s local rules or procedures.

Notice of Revised Protocols for In-Person Argument

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has issued new Revised Protocols for In-Person Arguments (pdf) effective immediately. In accordance with Administrative Order 2022-07, the Federal Circuit will no longer require masks to be worn when entering the National Courts Building and connecting buildings.

Notice of Updated National Courts Building Protocols

Effective November 10, 2022, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit will no longer require masks to be worn when entering the National Courts Building and connecting buildings.

The full order is available on the court’s website.