Federal Circuit

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit is unique among federal appellate courts because its jurisdiction is defined by subject matter, not geography.

• Patent Law
  • Exclusive appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. patent cases
  • Appeals from U.S. District Courts and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB)

• Trademark Law
  • Appeals from the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB)

• International Trade
  • Appeals from the U.S. Court of International Trade and the International Trade Commission (ITC)

• Government Contracts
  • Appeals from the U.S. Court of Federal Claims involving federal contracts

• Veterans' Benefits
  • Appeals from the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims

• Federal Employment
  • Appeals from the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) and certain agency decisions

• Tucker Act Claims
  • Monetary claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act

• Criminal appeals
• Immigration cases
• Most constitutional and civil rights cases (unless they overlap with the areas above)

• Created by the Federal Courts Improvement Act of 1982
• Jurisdiction codified at 28 U.S.C. § 1295