|
Online Attorney
tisfied with the appellant’s statement:
(1) the jurisdictional statement;
(2) the statement of the issues;
(3) the statement of the case;
(4) the statement of the facts; and
(5) the statement of the standard of review.
(c) Reply Brief. The appellant may file a brief in reply
to the appellee’s brief. An appellee who has crossappealed
may file a brief in reply to the appellant’s
response to the issues presented by the cross-appeal.
Unless the court permits, no further briefs may be
filed. A reply brief must contain a table of contents,
with page references, and a table of authorities —
cases (alphabetically arranged), statutes, and other
authorities — with references to the pages of the reply
brief where they are cited.
(d) References to Parties. In briefs and at oral argument,
counsel should minimize use of the terms “appellant”
and “appellee.” To make briefs clear, counsel should use
the parties’ actual names or the designations used in the
lower court or agency proceeding, or such descriptive
terms as “the employee,” “the injured person,” “the
taxpayer,” “the ship,” “the stevedore.”
(e) References to the Record. References to the parts of
the record contained in the appendix filed with the
appellant’s brief must be to the pages of the appendix.
If the appendix is prepared after the briefs are filed, a
party referring to the record must follow one of the
methods detailed in Rule 30(c). If the original record
is used under Rule 30(f) and is not consecutively paginated,
or if the brief refers to an unreproduced part
of the record, any reference must be to the page of the
original document. For example:
? Answer p. 7;
? Motion for Judgment p. 2;
? Transcript p. 231.
Only clear abbreviations may be used. A party referring
to evidence whose admissibility is in controversy must
cite the pages of the appendix or of the transcript at
which the evidence was identified, offered, and received
or rejected.
28
51
Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure Federal Circuit Rule
Rule 28
(f) Reproduction of Statutes, Rules, Regulations, etc.
If the court’s determination of the issues presented
requires the study of statutes, rules, regulations, etc.,
the relevant parts must be set out in the brief or in an
addendum at the end, or may be supplied to the court
in pamphlet form.
(g) [Reserved]
(h) Briefs in a Case Involving a Cross-Appeal. If a crossappeal
is filed, the party who files a notice of appeal first
is the appellant for the purposes of this rule and Rules
30, 31, and 34. If notices are filed on the same day, the
plaintiff in the proceeding below is the appellant. These
designations may be modified by agreement of the parties
or by court order. With respect to appellee’s crossappeal
and response to appellant’s brief, appellee’s brief
must conform to the requirements of Rule 28(a)(1)-
(11). But an appellee who is satisfied with appellant’s
statement need not include a statement of the case or
of the facts.
(i) Briefs in a Case Involving Multiple Appellants or
Appellees. In a case involving more than one appellant
or appellee, including consolidated cases, any number
of appellants or appellees may join in a brief, and any
party may adopt by reference a part of another’s brief.
Parties may also join in reply briefs.
(j) Citation of Supplemental Authorities. If pertinent and
significant authorities come to a party’s attention after
the party’s brief has been filed — or after oral argument
but before decision — a party may promptly advise the
circuit clerk by letter, with a copy to all other parties, setting
forth the citations. The letter must state the reasons
for the supplemental citations, referring either to the
page of the brief or to a point argued orally. The body of
the letter must not exceed 350 words. Any response must
be made promptly and must be similarly limited.
(e) Citations. Opinions of this court and its predecessors
should be cited as found in the Federal Reporter and, if
reasonably available, the United States Patents Quarterly.
Parallel citations to any other reporters are discouraged.
Examples of acceptable citations are:
Guotos v. United States, 552 F.2d 992 (Ct. Cl. 1976).
In re Sponnable, 405 F.2d 578 (CCPA 1969).
South Corporation v. United States, 690 F.2d 1368 (Fed.
Cir. 1982)(en banc).
Doe v. Roe, No. 12-345, slip op. (Fed. Cir. Oct. 1,
1982).
(f) Reference to Appendix. Reference in the brief to pages
of the joint appendix and, if permitted, of a supplemental
appendix must be as short as possible consistent with
clarity, e.g., A206 or SA17.
(g) Briefs in a Case Involving a Cross Appeal. If a cross
appeal is filed, the party who is the appellant under Federal
Rule of Appellate Procedure 28(h) is the appellant for
purposes of these Federal Circuit Rules.
(h) Informal Brief; Appellee’s Brief. A pro se party may file
an informal brief on the form prescribed by the court.
When the appellant or petitioner files an informal brief,
the appellee or respondent may elect to file an informal
brief. An informal brief filed by an appellee or respondent
must contain a statement of the case but otherwise follow
the format prescribed for the pro se party.
(i) Briefs in a Transferred Case. When an appeal is
transferred to this court by another court of appeals
after briefs have been filed, the parties may stipulate to
proceed on those briefs instead of filing briefs prescribed
by these rules. The stipulation must be filed within 14
days of docketing, and the number of copies of briefs
required by Federal Circuit Rule 31(b) must accompany
the stipulation. The court may order supplemental
briefs.
(j) Citation of Supplemental Authorities. An original and
6 copies of a citation of supplemental authorities must
be filed.
Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure Federal Circuit Rule
52
Rule
Practice Notes
Informal Brief. The informal brief procedure is explained in the Guide for Pro Se Petitioners and Appellants.
Multiple Parties. When there are multiple parties represented by the same counsel, only one brief can be filed.
Describing the General Nature of Confidential Material Deleted from the Nonconfidential Brief. The following example is acceptable:
CONFIDENTIAL MATERIAL OMITTED
The material omitted on page 42 describes the circumstances of an alleged lost sale; the material omitted in the first line of page
43 indicates the dollar amount of an alleged revenue loss; the material omitted on page 44 indicates the quantity of the party’s
inventory and its market share; the material omitted in the text on page 45 describes the distributor’s experiences concerning
the inventories and order lead times; and the material omitted in the footnote on page 45 describes non-price factors affecting
customers’ preferences between competing methods.
Justification for Claim of Confidentiality. Unnecessarily designating material in the briefs and appendix as confidential may hinder the
court’s preparation and issuance of opinions. Counsel must be prepared to justify at oral argument any claim of confidentiality.
Cross-Appeals. A party may file a cross-appeal only when it seeks to modify or overturn the judgment of a trial tribunal. Although a
party may present additional arguments in support of the judgment as an appellee, counsel are cautioned against improperly designating
an appeal as a cross-apeal when they merely present arguments in support of the judgment. See Bailey v. Dart Container Corp., 292
F.3d 1360 (Fed. Cir. 2002). Further, counsel are cautioned, in cases involving a proper cross-appeal, to limit the fourth brief to the
issues presented by the cross-appeal. In all cases, counsel should be prepared to defend the filing of a cross-appeal and the propriety of
arguments presented in the fourth brief at oral argument.
Rule 29. Brief of an Amicus Curiae
(a) When Permitted. The United States or its officer or
agency, or a State, Territory, Commonwealth, or the
District of Columbia may file an amicus-curiae brief
without the consent of the parties or leave of court.
Any other amicus curiae may file a brief only by leave of
court or if the brief states that all parties have consented
to its filing.
(b) Motion for Leave to File. The motion must be accompanied
by the proposed brief and state:
(1) the movant’s interest; and
(2) the reason why an amicus brief is desirable and why
the matters asserted are relevant to the disposition
of the case.
(c) Contents and Form. An amicus brief must comply with
Rule 32. In addition to the requirements of Rule 32,
the cover must identify the party or parties supported
and indicate whether the brief supports affirmance or
reversal. If an amicus curiae is a corporation, the brief
must include a disclosure statement like that required of
parties by Rule 26.1. An amicus brief need not comply
with Rule 28, but must include the following:
(1) a table of contents, with page references;
(2) a table of authorities — cases (alphabetically
arranged), statutes and other authorities — with
references to the pages of the brief where they are
cited;
Rule 29. Brief of an Amicus Curiae
(a) Content; Form. In addition to the contents required
by Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 29, the brief of
an amicus curiae must include a certificate of interest
(see Federal Circuit Rule 47.4) in front of the table of
contents.
(b) List of Amicus Curiae. The clerk will maintain a list of
bar associations and other organizations to be invited
to file amicus curiae briefs when the court directs. Bar
associations and other organizations will be placed on
the list if they request. The request must be renewed
annually not later than October 1.
29
53
Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure Federal Circuit Rule
Rule
(3) a concise statement of the identity of the amicus
curiae, its interest in the case, and the source of its
authority to file;
(4) an argument, which may be preceded by a summary
and which need not include a statement of
the applicable standard of review; and
(5) a certificate of compliance, if required by Rule
32(a)(7).
(d) Length. Except by the court’s permission, an amicus
brief may be no more than one-half the maximum
length authorized by these rules for a party’s principal
brief. If the court grants a party permission to file a
longer brief, that extension does not affect the length
of an amicus brief.
(e) Time for Filing. An amicus curiae must file its brief,
accompanied by a motion for filing when necessary, no
later than 7 days after the principal brief of the party
being supported is filed. An amicus curiae that does
not support either party must file its brief no later than
7 days after the appellant’s or petitioner’s principal
brief is filed. A court may grant leave for later filing,
specifying the time within which an opposing party
may answer.
(f) Reply Brief. Except by the court’s permission, an amicus
curiae may not file a reply brief.
(g) Oral Argument. An amicus curiae may participate in
oral argument only with the court’s permission.
Rule 30. Appendix to the Briefs
(a) Appellant’s Responsibility.
(1) Contents of the Appendix. The appellant must prepare
and file an appendix to the briefs containing:
(A) the relevant docket entries in the proceeding
below;
(B) the relevant portions of the pleadings, charge,
findings, or opinion;
(C) the judgment, order, or decision in question;
and
(D) other parts of the record to which the parties
wish to direct the court’s attention.
(2) Excluded Material. Memoranda of law in the district
court should not be included in the appendix
Rule 30. Appendix to the Briefs
(a) Purpose; Content of Appendix; Time for Filing; Number
of Copies; Cover; Service.
(1) Purpose. The purpose of this rule is to limit the size of
the appendix of documentary materials that is printed
and filed with the court. The rule also authorizes a
supplementary video recording media appendix under
some circumstances.
(2) Contents; Indiscriminate Referencing to Blocks of
the Record Prohibited.
(A) In addition to the matters required by Federal
Rule of Appellate Procedure 30(a)(1)(A),(B), and
(C), the appendix must include:
(i) the entire docket sheet from the proceedings
below;
30
Practice Note
An amicus curiae must file an entry of appearance and a certificate of interest, if applicable See Federal Circuit Rules 47.3, 47.4, and
Forms 8 and 9.
Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure Federal Circuit Rule
54
Rule
unless they have independent relevance. Parts of the
record may be relied on by the court or the parties
even though not included in the appendix.
(3) Time to File; Number of Copies. Unless filing is
deferred under Rule 30(c), the appellant must file
10 copies of the appendix with the brief and must
serve one copy on counsel for each party separately
represented. An unrepresented party proceeding in
forma pauperis must file 4 legible copies with the
clerk, and one copy must be served on counsel for
each separately represented party. The court may
by local rule or by order in a particular case require
the filing or service of a different number.
(b) All Parties’ Responsibilities.
(1) Determining the Contents of the Appendix. The
parties are encouraged to agree on the contents of
the appendix. In the absence of an agreement, the
appellant must, within 10 days after the record is
filed, serve on the appellee a designation of the
parts of the record the appellant intends to include
in the appendix and a statement of the issues the
appellant intends to present for review. The appellee
may, within 10 days after receiving the designation,
serve on the appellant a designation of additional
parts to which it wishes to direct the court’s attention.
The appellant must include the designated
parts in the appendix. The parties must not engage
in unnecessary designation of parts of the record,
because the entire record is available to the court.
This paragraph applies also to a cross-appellant and
a cross-appellee.
(2) Costs of Appendix. Unless the parties agree
otherwise, the appellant must pay the cost of the
appendix. If the appellant considers parts of the
record designated by the appellee to be unnecessary,
the appellant may advise the appellee, who must
then advance the cost of including those parts. The
cost of the appendix is a taxable cost. But if any
party causes unnecessary parts of the record to be
included in the appendix, the court may impose the
cost of those parts on that party. Each circuit must,
by local rule, provide for sanctions against attorneys
who unreasonably and vexatiously increase litigation
costs by including unnecessary material in
the appendix.
(c) Deferred Appendix.
(1) Deferral Until After Briefs Are Filed. The court
may provide by rule for classes of cases or by order
in a particular case that preparation of the appendix
may be deferred until after the briefs have been
filed and that the appendix may be filed 21 days
(ii) in an appeal from a jury case, the judge’s
charge, the jury’s verdict, and the jury’s
responses to interrogatories;
(iii) in an appeal involving a patent, the patent
in suit in its entirety. The patent in suit
may also be included as an addendum to
appellant’s initial brief. Any other patents
included in an appendix must be included
in their entirety; and
(iv) any nonprecedential opinion or order
cited in accordance with Federal Circuit
Rule 47.6(b).
(B) Parts of the record authorized by Federal Rule
of Appellate Procedure 30(a)(1)(D) must not be
included in the appendix unless they are actually
referenced in the briefs, but the parties are
encouraged to include in the appendix sufficient
surrounding transcript pages to provide context
for a referenced transcript excerpt.
(C) Indiscriminate referencing in briefs to blocks of
record pages or inclusion of unnecessary pages
in the appendix is prohibited.
(D) If the appellant considers that parts of the record
have been referenced in violation of this rule, the
appellant may so advise the appellee and the
appellee must advance the costs of including
those parts in the appendix.
(E) The following must not be included in the
appendix except by leave of the court, and any
motion for leave must state the number of pages
requested to be included:
(i) briefs and memoranda in their entirety
(except as otherwise provided in Federal
Circuit Rule 30);
(ii) notices;
(iii) subpoenas – except where the enforcement
or validity of a subpoena is at issue;
(iv) summonses – except in appeals from the
Court of International Trade;
(v) motions to extend time;
(vi) certificates of service; or
(vii) jury lists.
(F) Nothing in this Federal Circuit Rule 30
prohibits from designation and inclusion in an
appendix:
(i) an examiner’s answer in an ex parte patent
case;
30
55
Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure Federal Circuit Rule
Rule
(ii) a trademark examining attorney’s appeal
brief in an ex parte trademark case; or
(iii) the briefs and memoranda in their entirety in
a case where the only issue is the propriety
of summary judgment.
(3) Additional Mandatory Appendix Items in Patent
and Trademark Office Appeals. In an appeal from
the Patent and Trademark Office, unles
Online Attorney
Read this important disclaimer
If you experience unusual problems with this site please email the webmaster.
Copyright: David Matheny, 2006-2008.
|
|