The 13 federal appeals courts across the country sit just below the U.S. Supreme Court. In theory, the appeals courts, each covering a judicial circuit, are equals. But often enough, one circuit court has taken on an outsize role in shaping seminal constitutional questions that end up before the Supreme Court. After Sept. 11, it…
The appeals court that initially let an aggressive Texas immigration law come into force in a one-sentence order without a hint of reasoning — before later blocking it again in a similarly brief order — has a reputation for issuing decisions too conservative even for the Supreme Court, which is itself tilted to the right…
In December, when a federal appeals court agreed to hear former President Donald J. Trump’s sweeping claims to be immune from charges of plotting overturn the 2020 election, it laid out a lightning-fast briefing schedule, asking the defense and prosecution to file their papers on successive Saturdays during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. A…
A federal appeals court on Saturday allowed California’s ban on the carrying of firearms in most public places to take effect in 2024, halting a lower court judge’s ruling that had blocked enforcement of the law. The state law, Senate Bill 2, sets several restrictions on gun ownership, and Gov. Gavin Newsom approved it in…
Federal prosecutors asked an appeals court on Saturday to reject former President Donald J. Trump’s claims that he is immune from criminal charges of plotting to overturn the 2020 election and said the indictment should remain in place even though it arose from actions he took while in the White House. The government’s filing to…
A federal appeals court tossed out the conviction of former Representative Jeff Fortenberry, a Nebraska Republican, on Tuesday on the grounds that his trial never should have been held in Los Angeles in the first place. Mr. Fortenberry, 62, was convicted by a jury in March 2022 on three felony charges related to lying to…
A federal appeals panel on Saturday said a Tennessee law that would ban hormone therapy and puberty blockers for transgender youth could go into effect, marking the first time a federal court has allowed a law banning transition care to fully take hold in the United States. The ruling, issued by a divided three-judge panel…
A federal appeals court on Thursday removed a major obstacle to the Justice Department’s investigation into former President Donald J. Trump’s handling of sensitive government documents by ending an outside review of the records. In a strongly worded ruling, the three-member panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit shut down an…
In the last full day of campaigning, Republican and Democratic candidates made their final appeals to voters before one of the most consequential and unpredictable midterm campaigns drew to a close. Republican candidates stuck to their central themes of inflation, crime and immigration, tapping into mounting voter concerns over issues around daily life. Democrats also…