United States Court of Appeals For the Federal Circuit

I have never been inside of the U.S. Supreme Court so I cannot compare, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) is one of the most beautiful courts I have been to.

This court is located in the heart of Washington DC, within a walking distance from the White House. It is one of the 13 Circuit Court of Appeals, and is unique because it can hear cases based on their subject areas, including international trade, patent, government contract, etc. Geographic location is not a concern to this court. Basically, this court can hear cases coming from all federal district courts. For example, have you heard of Samsung vs Apple case? Yeah, those international trade or patent related cases come to this court for appeal. This court is pretty much the final court, considering how extremely difficult it is for a case to be heard at the Supreme Court. It is one of the most powerful and prestigious courts in the country.

This is a small court, and there are 18 judges listed on the CAFC website. Apparently, the judges are required to hear cases for a minimum of 40 days (960 hours) a year, and 6 cases per day. In other words, these judges hear 240 cases per year on average. This is excluding the time they have to spend on reading the case materials, discussing the cases, writing opinions, etc.

Being inside this court house and meeting one of the most renowned judges in the country (and in the world), and his law clerks was definitely an extremely rewarding experience.

Did I mention that this place was beautiful? The view from one of the judges' chambers is breathtaking. It is arguably one of the best views you can get in DC. Can you imagine the Obelisk being straight ahead from your window? Yup. Incredible. The court rooms are really beautiful as well, and we were given a tour inside for a special occasion. Every time I come here, I am just wowed.

The library is open to pro se litigants. I am not 100% how to use it, but I would call and find out.

I was sworn into the DC bar at the US Court of Appeals. I was impressed that a panel of judges were there for the ceremony. There is apparently a lot of history and famous cases that take place here. The location was originally intended to be the site of the Supreme Court.