ABSTRACT
The United States courts of appeals serve as the intermediate appellate courts in the federal judicial system. Organized geographically by circuit, the federal appeals courts (or “circuit courts,” as they are commonly called) were created by Congress to provide the first level of appellate review over decisions rendered in the federal district courts and by most federal administrative agencies. Cases appealed to the circuit courts are subject to mandatory review: that is, unless the appeal presents arguments that are legally frivolous, parties who lose at the trial or agency level have the right to appeal to the appropriate circuit court. As a result, the circuit courts resolve many thousands of appeals each year. In 2010, for example, circuit judges decided more than 60,000 appeals from federal district courts and administrative agencies.
