The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, or RCRA, is a federal law that puts a lot of power into the hands of the Environmental Protection Agency related to hazardous waste. The RCRA gives the EPA what it calls "cradle-to-grave" dominion over hazardous waste, which...
Federal Appeals
How is the federal court system structured?
The federal court system is separate from the local and state court systems. While federal courts do have to follow federal laws, they are structured differently and follow different rules than other courts. At the federal level, the courts are divided into 94...
Federal appeals arguments must be polished
The Litigation Consulting Report, a publication for attorneys and other legal professionals, has ten recommendations for those who want to make an argument before a federal appeals panel. Those ten recommendations boil down to the fact that you have to know what you...
Case files and status review in federal court
If you are considering an appeals process in the federal court system, you might want to find information about the status of your case or review records from your case. While a lot of this type of information is a matter of public record, it can be difficult to find...
Basic facts about the U.S. Court of Appeals
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal District offers a Frequently Asked Questions page with some very basic information about accessing cases and seeking information from the court. The FAQ is not really designed to provide viable information to non-legal...
Some basics about the federal court system
The federal court system hears certain types of cases both of a criminal law and a civil law nature. The bulk of the cases heard in federal courts are civil in nature, and the Constitution does define what type of cases can be heard in such courts. For example, any...
The federal appeals court volunteer-based mediation program
Sometimes, appeals go to mediation rather than to a traditional appeals court. Mediation might be required by a contract or other agreement or it might be the decision of the parties involved. Regardless of why your case might be involved in mediation, if you will be...
What are common errors in federal appeals filings?
In a review of briefs filed through the federal Court of Appeals, it was found that a bit over 16 percent featured common errors. Working with a lawyer who is well-versed in appeals processes helps reduce the chance that your case will suffer from some of these common...
How do cases get to the Supreme Court?
Obviously, the trail to the Supreme Court of the United States is slightly different for each case that makes it there, but SCOTUS has provided a theoretical example on its blog to illustrate how the procedure works. The example begins with a man suing his employer,...
How do federal court of appeals work?
A series of courts at the federal level hear appeals of certain types of cases and decisions. A federal appellate court can hear appeals regarding decisions made by various federal agencies. They will also hear appeals of decisions made by federal courts at the...