Pursuant to Federal Circuit Rule 47(c), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit will be implementing several modifications to its Internal Operating Procedures, effective March 1, 2022. Redlined (pdf) and clean (pdf) versions of the updated Internal Operating Procedures are available on the court’s website.
Due to changing public health conditions in the National Capital Region, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit will resume in-person arguments for the March 2022 court sitting. Attendance remains limited to arguing counsel and one necessary attendee. All attendees must adhere to the court’s Revised Protocols for In-Person Arguments, including providing proof of negative COVID-19 test results as outlined in the protocols.
After careful consideration, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has decided to reschedule its 2022 Judicial Conference from April 1 to September 9, 2022. Additional information about the conference will be available later this year.
Due to this scheduling change, the Federal Circuit will no longer sit for arguments on September 9, 2022. An updated session calendar will be posted on the the court’s website.
The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims have entered a new joint order modifying and superseding their prior administrative order of October 25, 2021, concerning access to the National Courts Building complex in Washington, D.C. The order maintains existing access restrictions, adds additional building-wide masking requirements, and clarifies that those participating in hearings are subject to additional requirements each court may impose.
Except for necessary access for hearing participation, which is covered by the court’s Revised Protocols for In-Person Argument, requests for access relating to all other Federal Circuit business or spaces within the National Courts Building must be submitted in writing through the Facilities and Security Office, which will be handled on a case-by-case basis and must be submitted in writing at least 24 hours ahead of time. These restrictions will remain in effect until further notice. The full administrative order is available on the court’s website (pdf).
Consistent with the updated administrative order, the Federal Circuit has also issued new Revised Protocols for In-Person Argument that will apply once the court resumes in-person arguments. The new revised protocols update requirements for masking, attendance limitations, and health certifications.
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 changing public health conditions impacting the National Capital Region, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit will now be conducting all scheduled arguments for the February 2022 session by video conference. The Clerk’s Office will be separately notifying counsel in all impacted cases and providing additional instructions.
For technical reasons, only arguing counsel will be permitted to access the video argument, and the court will not entertain any motions to expand access to the video conferences beyond arguing counsel. The court will continue to livestream argument audio of each argument. Audio recordings of all arguments will continue to be available on the court’s website after the conclusion of arguments each day.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit is pleased to announce the incorporation of a read-aloud and visual enhancement service on the court’s website. The program works with web browsers to allow users to listen to text and to resize the text that appears on a site as it is read aloud. This program serves as a useful tool for those who have trouble reading, have visual impairments, or have another limitation that may prevent them from reading materials on a digital device. Additionally, this service provides language translation services and allows users to download website content in either a simplified visual or audio transcription format. To access this functionality, click on the “Screen Reader” icon to the left of the search box.
The Clerk’s Office has released updated versions of the Electronic Filing Procedures (pdf), the Guide to Oral Argument (pdf), and the Guide for Unrepresented Parties (pdf).
Due to changing public health conditions impacting the National Capital Region, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit will now be conducting all scheduled arguments for the January 2022 session by telephonic hearing.
The Clerk’s Office will be individually notifying counsel scheduled for the January session of this change and providing additional instructions.