Legal Writing Resources

Circuit Courts

• 1^st Cir.: Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Puerto Rico, and Rhode Island
• 2^nd Cir.: Connecticut, New York, and Vermont
• 3^rd Cir.: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, and Virgin Islands
• 4^th Cir.: Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina
• 5^th Cir.: Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas
• 6^th Cir.: Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee
• 7^th Cir.: Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin
• 8^th Cir.: Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and Nebraska
• 9^th Cir.: Alaska, Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and Northern Mariana Islands
• 10^th Cir.: Oklahoma, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah. Plus portions of Yellow Stone Park that extend into Montana and Idaho.
• 11^th Cir.: Alabama, Florida, and Georgia
• Fed. Cir.: This court has nationwide jurisdiction over international trade, government contracts, patents, trademarks, certain money claims against the U.S. government, federal personnel, veterans’ benefits, and public safety officers’ benefit claims.
• D.C. Cir.: District of Columbia. This court has jurisdiction over the U.S. Congress and many of the US government agencies. Because of its jurisdiction over government agencies, the D.C. Circuit is regarded as the most powerful of the federal circuit courts.