1. 5 th Circuit: Court of Appeals By: Jennifer Grier Police Systems Professor Hitch

2. Court History The Fifth Circuit is located in the John Minor Wisdom U.S. Court of Appeals Building in New Orleans, LA. The original building was constructed in 1908 and then served as both the Post Office and Courthouse. In 1961 the Post Office moved due to lack of space. In 1963 the courts left as well and the building remained vacant until 1965 when it "served as a public high school for three years after Hurricane Betsy destroyed McDonough 35 High School. After undergoing extensive renovations the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals returned to building in 1972. In 1974 the building was placed in the National Register of Historic Places. The building was renamed in honor of John Minor Wisdom in 1994. Wisdom was "a respected judge who served on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals from 1957 until his death in 1999. Wisdom strongly promoted civil rights and issued landmark decisions that supported school desegregation and voter rights." The Fifth Circuit played a pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement, hearing many of the most controversial and pivotal cases.

3. Jurisdiction The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: Eastern District of Louisiana Middle District of Louisiana Western District of Louisiana Northern District of Mississippi Southern District of Mississippi Eastern District of Texas Northern District of Texas Southern District of Texas Western District of Texas The court is one of thirteen United States courts of appeal and is composed of 17 active judges and is located at the John Minor Wisdom U.S. Courthouse in New Orleans.

4. Map of the 5 th Circuit

5. Case Load YEARTOTAL CASES TOTAL TERMINATED 2012121127316 2011121687695 2010123917624 2009122977355 2008131378086 2007150549578 2006158858881 Cases Heard : The Fifth Circuit has appellate jurisdiction over cases heard in one of its subsidiary districts. These cases can include civil and criminal matters that fall under federal law.

6. Notable Cases Blocked provisions of abortion law reinstated (2013) Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas, et. al v. Gregory Abbott, Attorney General of Texas Corporate speech through campaign finance upheld by Fifth Circuit (2013) Texans for Free Enterprise v. Texas Ethics Commission Fifth Circuit rules on Texas Open Meetings Law (2012) Rangra v. Brown Clipper Estates case (2010) Joffroin v. Tufaro

7. Interesting Information When Hurricane Katrina hit in New Orleans in 2005, the courthouse relocated to Houston temporarily. It has not been moved to its normal location.

8. Works Cited "United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit." N.p., 31 Dec. 2013. Web. 14 Mar. 2014.