Why are federal appeals court judges so important?
Because so few cases are taken for review by the Supreme Court, federal appeals court judges wield tremendous power. If the Supreme Court turns down an appeal, the decision made by the federal appeals court applies to all the states in its circuit (although not to any other states). Each case that is appealed is heard by a panel of three judges selected in rotation from all the judges on the appeals, or circuit, court. The losing party can ask all the judges to review the panel’s decision (called an en banc review), but such reviews are uncommon. So even a few individual judges can be crucial to the outcome of a case. How do federal and state courts differ? In general, federal courts may decide cases that involve the US government, the US Constitution or federal laws, or controversies between states or between the US and foreign governments. A case also may be filed in federal court if it involves residents of different states, or US citizens and those of another country, although only
