Past Events

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FEDERAL CIRCUIT

On Tuesday, November 8, 2005, from 2:00-4:00 pm, the DePaul University College of Law will host the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit for appellate hearings in the law school. Do note the date and plan to attend if you can. This will be an unusual opportunity to watch a three-judge Court of Appeals hearing oral arguments in actual appeals.

The Court was established under Article III of the Constitution October 1, 1982. It sits in Washington DC (when not riding circuit) with twelve judges who are appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. Several of them will be in Chicago hearing cases at DePaul and several other schools. The Court regards these sessions as an important part of legal education, and conducts them primarily for the benefit of law students.

The Court is unique among the thirteen United States Circuit Courts of Appeals. It has nationwide jurisdiction in a variety of subject matters, including patents (such as cases on appeal from United States District Courts nationally), trademarks (including cases on appeal from the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the United States Patent and Trademark Office), international trade, government contracts, veterans' benefits, and certain administrative agency decisions. Appeals come from all such District Courts, the United States Court of Federal Claims, the United States Court of International Trade, The United States Court of Veterans Appeals, and certain administrative tribunals.

The Court has just announced that the following cases are scheduled for DePaul. Two of them will be submitted on the briefs and four will be argued:

04-1268 Saab Cars USA v. U.S. [argued]
05-1113 Viad Corp. v. Stak Design [argued]
05-7087 Frasure v. DVA [argued]
05-5049 Capizzano v. HHS [argued]
05-5055 Mudge v. US [on the briefs]
05-3244 Watkins v.OPM [on the briefs]

Judges will be selected randomly for assignment to this panel, and their names will become available on November 8 in the morning.

Parties prepare and file written briefs, and submit relevant parts of the record below. We expect to receive a CD-ROM containing the briefs for these cases, and expect that interested students will be able to review them beforehand.

Each side usually is allotted 15 minutes for argument, depending on the nature of the case. After oral argument, consisting of presentation by counsel and questions from the Court, the presiding judge of the panel assigns a member of the panel to prepare the opinion of the Court. Losing parties may seek review of the decision in the United States Supreme Court.

If you wish to attend, please contact Vadim Shifrin at vshifrin@depaul.edu or 312.362.8145.