What is the role of the Appellate Section?
The Appellate Section has primary responsibility for handling civil rights cases in the courts of appeals and, in cooperation with the Solicitor General, in the Supreme Court. The Section also provides legal counsel to other components of the Department of Justice regarding civil rights law and appellate litigation. Most of the Section’s appeals are from district court judgments in cases originally handled by trial sections within the Division. The appellate caseload is both affirmative and defensive. Thus, the Section handles all appeals from both favorable and adverse judgments in which the government participates. A significant proportion of the Section’s work involves participation as amicus curiae (friend of the court) in the courts of appeals. In addition, we have intervened in appeals involving the constitutionality of federal civil rights statutes.
