Federal Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals (United States)

Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals 

The Federal Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals of the U.S. is an appeals court that hears appeals that come from the district court systems in the states of North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland.  The Fourth Circuit can also hear appeals from federal administrative agencies.  There are nine federal district courts that are located with the Fourth Circuits jurisdiction.

The Lewis F. Powell, Jr., United States Courthouse was only one of two buildings that remained after the terrible fire in 1865  The courthouse was dedicated in 1993 as the Lewis F. Powell, Jr., U.S courthouse to honor of the late Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.

Judges of the Fourth Circuit

This particular circuit court is to have 15 active circuit judges.  The President selects judge of these particular seats which has to be approved by Congress.  But once approved, these judges can occupy their positions within the court for life.

Like we said above the Fourth Circuit has authority over nine of the district courts that include one in Maryland, one in South Carolina, three in North Carolina, two in Virginia, and two in West Virginia.   The only higher court would be that of the United States Supreme Court and cases that get appealed to the Fourth Circuit could make its way to the Supreme Court if one the case gets petitioned successfully, or the Supreme Court seeks the case out.

What you should know when visiting the courthouse

Like most courthouses, the Fourth Circuit is no different in terms of security.   Before entering the building you will have to go through a metal detector and all items will be x-ray machined and screened.  It should go without saying that all weapons are not allowed in any federal court facility.  This particular court has an Electronic Device Policy that is in place. When visiting the courthouse it is prohibited to bring in electronic devices into the annex building or courthouse.

Caseloads of the Fourth Circuit Appeals Court

Typically there are roughly 5,000 new cases that the Fourth Circuit Appeals get each year and the Court hears oral arguments in about 450 cases per year.