United States Court Of Appeals For The Federal Circuit Definition

A federal court that hears appeals on matters including the following: patent cases; certain customs and trademark cases; claims against the United States arising in federal district courts or federal agencies; and cases from the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, the U.S. Court of International Trade, and the U.S. Court of Veterans Appeals. The court was created under the Federal Courts Improvement Act of 1982, which merged the appellate division of the U.S. Court of Claims with the Court of Customs and Patent Appeals. The Federal Circuit consists of 12 active judges who are required to reside within 50 miles of the District of Columbia (D.C.).