United States Court of Appeals
for the
 Fifth Circuit
Honorable Jennifer W. Elrod, Chief Judge



FAQ • RSS • Print • Contact Us
  • About The Court
    • Court Offices
      • Circuit Executive
      • Clerk of Court
      • Library
      • Staff Attorney
      • Circuit Mediation Program (formerly Appellate Conference Attorney)
      • Workplace Relations
    • General Information
      • Address & Contact Information
      • Hours of Operation
      • Court Location and Directions
    • Visitors Guide
    • Press Information
    • Court Statistics
    • Judges' Biographies
    • Circuit History
      • Brief History
      • Legislative History
  • Attorney Information
    • Membership
      • Application and Oath for Admission
      • Renewal
      • Request a Certificate of Good Standing
      • Request a Duplicate Certificate of Admission
    • Circuit Mediation Program
    • CJA
    • Attorney Forms
      • Affidavit of Financial Status
      • Form for Appearance of Counsel
      • Bill of Cost
      • Transcript Order Form
      • CJA Vouchers
      • Oral Argument Acknowledgment Form
    • Pro Bono Program
  • Case Info & E-Filing
    • Case Information
      • Contact Clerk's Office About My Case
      • Opinion Search
      • Docket Information
      • Opinion Subscriptions
    • Electronic Case Filing
      • ECF Information Page
      • CM/ECF Document Filing System
      • Register for a Pacer and CM/ECF Account
      • Update and Manage a Pacer and CM/ECF Account
  • Oral Argument Information
    • Court and Special Hearings Calendars
    • Oral Argument Recordings
    • Attorney Information
      • Notice to Counsel Attending Oral Argument
      • Preparing for Oral Argument in the 5th Circuit
      • CJA Travel Information
    • Attending Oral Arguments
    • Court Schedule
  • Rules & Procedures
    • Rules
      • Federal and 5th Circuit Rules of Appellate Procedure and IOPs
      • Fifth Circuit Rules of Appellate Procedure and IOPs
      • Judicial Conduct and Disability
      • Judicial Council Orders
      • General Docket Orders
    • Procedures
      • Anders v. California
        • Guidelines
        • Checklist
      • 28 USC 158(d)
      • Plan for Expediting Criminal Appeals
  • Forms, Fees & Guides
    • Forms
      • Attorney Forms
        • Affidavit of Financial Status
        • Form for Appearance of Counsel
        • Bill of Costs
        • Transcript Order Form
        • CJA Vouchers
        • 5th Circuit Form 1 - Record References Guidance
        • Oral Argument Acknowledgment Form
      • Court Reporter Forms
        • Request for Extension to File Transcript and For Waiver of Mandatory of Fee Reduction
        • Court Reporter Management Plan
        • Transcript Order Form
      • Financial Affidavit - Pro Se
    • Fees
      • Fee Schedule
    • Guides
      • 5th Circuit Appeal Flow Chart
      • Practitioner Guide
      • Guide to Filing Emergency Motions/Petitions
      • Brief Guidance and Sample Briefs
        • Checklist for Preparation of Briefs & Record Excerpts
        • Guidance for Record Citations and Use of Sample Briefs
        • Sample Briefs
          • Appellant's Civil Brief
          • Appellant's Civil Record Excerpts
          • Appellee's Civil Brief
          • Civil Reply Brief
          • Amicus Brief
          • Appellant's Criminal Brief
          • Anders Criminal Brief
          • Reply Criminal Brief
          • Petition for Panel Rehearing
          • Petition for Rehearing En Banc
        • 5th Circuit Form 1 - Record References Guide
      • Accessing District Court EROA
        • EROA Downloads
      • Accessing Administrative Records
      • Assistance in Preparing Briefs
    • Anders Guidelines
    • Anders Checklist
  • Other Links
    • Intra-Circuit Court Links
    • Federal Court Links
    • Seminar Disclosure Information
    • Vacancies
    • Library
    • Judicial Council Members
    • Judicial Conduct and Disability Orders
      • Unredacted Orders Per Judicial Council Directive
      • All Other Orders
    • Reports of Judicial Conduct Proceedings
    • Civics Education
Attending Oral Arguments

Schedule

The Fifth Circuit hears oral argument at regularly scheduled sessions in New Orleans, Louisiana, and on occasion in other cities throughout the circuit including Austin, Fort Worth, Houston, Jackson, and San Antonio.

The calendar of cases to be argued at each session is posted five weeks in advance.  Interested persons can subscribe to receive notice of the calendar and its updates via RSS feed.

Court and Special Hearings Calendars

courtweek-schedule
Oral Argument Acknowledgment Form
En Banc Courtroom

 

Courthouse

The courthouse doors open at 8:00 a.m. on argument days. Visitors must show photo identification and pass through security screening. Attorneys and their staff may bring electronic devices into the courthouse. All electronic devices must be turned off in the courtroom unless being used by counsel, with all sounds muted, during argument of their case to retrieve documents previously downloaded to the device. A wireless Internet access point is available in the library for use with personal electronic devices (Room 106 – see librarian for password).

Fifth Circuit Rule 34.7 provides that no cameras, tape recorders, or other equipment designed for the recording or transmission of visual images or sound may be present during oral argument.  All visitors attending oral arguments must turn off cell phones, laptop computers, and similar electronic devices when in the courtroom. You may not blog, tweet, or otherwise transmit contemporaneous or live transcription or observations from the courtroom.

Food and beverages may not be brought into the courtrooms.

New Orleans 5th Circuit Library Visitor's Guide
Directions to John Minor Wisdom Court of Appeals Building
Court Policy on Electronic Devices
 
Courtroom Seating

Public seating in the courtrooms is on a first-come, first-seated basis, and the amount of gallery seating in each courtroom varies widely.

East Courtroom, Second Floor, Room 223
En Banc Courtroom, Second Floor, Room 209
West Courtroom, Second Floor, Room 265

Argument Times

Oral arguments start at 9:00 a.m. each day for morning panels and at 1:00 p.m. for afternoon panels.

Assisted listening devices and other auxiliary aids and services necessary to accommodate communication disabilities can be provided to attorneys for oral argument. Please contact the Courtroom Deputy at (504) 310-7804 in advance of the argument date if you need hearing assistance or any other accommodation.

Each side generally has 20 minutes of argument time, for a total of 40 minutes of argument time per case. Appellants argue first and may reserve five minutes of their time for rebuttal following Appellee’s argument.

Counsel in the first case should seat themselves at counsel table before court starts.  Only attorneys may sit at counsel table; clients should be seated in the audience.

Only attorneys admitted to the Fifth Circuit Bar and who have filed an appearance form in the case may present oral argument.

Application & Oath for Admission
Form for Appearance of Counsel
 

Panels

Three to five argument panels may sit each day the court is in session. Cases are randomly assigned to oral argument panels, and the identity of the assigned panel is released one week prior to courtweek.

Cases

The court initially schedules five cases per day before each panel, but changes may occur in the number and order of cases up until the time of argument. Initial notice and calendar updates are available via RSS feed.

Fifth Circuit oral argument audio files in MP3 format are posted on the court's internet site after 5:00pm on the day of oral argument.

Oral Argument Recordings

Groups

Groups planning to attend oral argument are encouraged to contact the Court at (504) 310-7630 for assistance in coordinating their visit.
 
Group / Visitor Information

Media

Media interviews and public gatherings must be conducted off the courthouse property and courthouse steps and must not impede public access to the courthouse.

Press Information

High Profile Cases

The court will post a Media Advisory on its News & Announcements page whenever additional arrangements are made for argument in high profile cases.

Notice for Cases of Interest

Please send questions or comments to Webmaster_ca5@ca5.uscourts.gov.
 
FAQ • RSS • Contact Us • Site Policies