The Eleventh Circuit and Federal Criminal Appeals in Alabama
Federal criminal appeals from the three Federal Judicial Districts in Alabama are heard at the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals was established by Congress in 1981. The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Judicial Circuit has jurisdiction over federal cases originating in the states of Alabama, Florida and Georgia. The circuit includes nine district courts with each state divided into Northern, Middle and Southern Districts.
According to the Federal Judicial Center:
Responding to the fact that the Fifth Circuit had become the busiest court of appeals in the country, Congress in 1980 divided the circuit, keeping Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi in the Fifth Circuit, and moving Alabama, Georgia, and Florida to the newly-established Eleventh Circuit, effective October 1, 1981.
Criminal appeals from the three federal districts in Alabama (Northern, Middle, and Southern) are sent to the 11th Circuit. The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals is made up of Active Judges and judges who retired to Senior Status but remain on the bench. The Eleventh Circuit has twelve authorized active judgeships. Vacant seats on the Court are filled by Judges appointed by the President of the United States of America.The 11th Circuit currently has 22 judges including active an senior status judges.
When a criminal appeal makes its way to the 11th Circuit, it is assigned to a panel of three judges who hear the appeal. Federal criminal appeals are governed by a strict set of rules for appeals.
Come back to our page in the near future for more information on Federal Criminal Appeals. In the meantime, please visit our Federal Criminal Appeal website.
For more information on the Federal Judiciary, we recommend the Federal Judiciary Center website. It is a tremendous resource for information on the federal judiciary and the federal judicial process.
