Holdsworth & Inkwell
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

U.S. Court of AppealsAtlanta, Georgia

Overview

In Brief

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit is one of the thirteen U.S. courts of appeals in the federal judiciary. It is an intermediate appellate court, sitting above the U.S. district courts within its circuit and below the U.S. Supreme Court, and it does not hold trials; it reviews decisions made by lower federal courts and certain federal agencies.

The court was created by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Reorganization Act of 1980, which split the former Fifth Circuit into two circuits effective October 1, 1981. Alabama, Georgia, and Florida became the new Eleventh Circuit, while Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi remained in the Fifth Circuit. Fifth Circuit decisions issued before that date remain binding precedent in the Eleventh Circuit. The court is headquartered at the Elbert Parr Tuttle U.S. Courthouse in Atlanta, Georgia.

Jurisdiction

The Eleventh Circuit hears federal appeals from the U.S. district courts in three states:

  • Alabama
  • Florida
  • Georgia

What the court hears

As a general federal appellate court, its docket covers the full range of civil and criminal appeals arising from the district courts in its three states, along with review of certain federal administrative agency decisions.

Practicing before the court

Admission to a state bar within the circuit does not, by itself, authorize an attorney to appear before the court. Appearing requires separate admission to the Eleventh Circuit's own bar. An applicant must already be a member in good standing of the bar of the U.S. Supreme Court, another U.S. Court of Appeals, a U.S. District Court, or the highest court of any state, and must apply electronically through PACER, submitting a signed application, a current Certificate of Good Standing, and a list of all state and federal bar memberships. A current member of the Eleventh Circuit's bar generally moves for the applicant's admission, unless the applicant certifies that they do not know one. An admission fee, set in part by the Judicial Conference and in part locally, is due within a set period after the application is approved.

Attorneys

Admitted to the Eleventh Circuit

Admission to the Eleventh Circuit is a formal credential, granted only after a separate application beyond state bar membership. Every attorney listed here holds that standing and is authorized to argue before this court.

All attorneys

Matters

Litigation Before the Eleventh Circuit

The matters below are drawn from the firm's actual appearances before the Eleventh Circuit: briefed, argued, and worked through on their own facts rather than by template. Together they represent the specific work the firm has done before this court to date, not a forecast of how any future appeal here will be decided.

Past results do not guarantee, warrant, or predict a similar outcome in any future matter. Every engagement is unique and must be evaluated on its own facts and circumstances.

All representative matters

Appellate counsel, close at hand

Discuss Your Eleventh Circuit Matter

Our Atlanta office anchors the firm's False Claims Act Litigation practice, much of which reaches this court on appeal. If a matter here is taking shape, we'll offer a plain read on where it stands.