Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals At A Glance

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals is formally known as the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. This court of appeals has appellate jurisdiction over district courts in:

The Western District of Louisiana,

The Middle District of Louisiana,

The Eastern District of Louisiana,

The Northern District of Mississippi,

The Southern District of Mississippi,

The Northern District of Texas,

The Eastern District of Texas,

The Southern District of Texas, and

The Western District of Texas.

Prior to October 1, 1981, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals included the Northern, Southern, and Middle Districts of Alabama, the Northern, Southern and Middle Districts of Florida, and the Northern, Southern and Middle Districts of Georgia, but these nine district courts were then separated into te Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. However, as a result, decisions handed down by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals prior to the split are considered binding precedents in the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals had jurisdiction over the Panama Canal Zone between June 25, 1948, and March 31, 1982.

During the late 1950s the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals was crucial in advancing the civil rights of African-Americans, leading Chief Justice Elbert Tuttle, Judge John Minor Wisdom, Judge John Brown, and Judge Richard Rives to become known as the "Fifth Circuit Four”. Tuttle and Wisdom would lend their names to the courthouses which house the Eleventh and Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal, respectively.

NEXT: Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals At A Glance