Information About the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals

The United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit is the federal appellate court which hears appeals from criminal and civil cases from within the following district courts: District of Connecticut, District of Vermont, Eastern District of New York, Northern District of New York, Western District of New York and Southern District of New York.

The court's homepage is currently found at http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov/. Cases are heard at the Thurgood Marshall U.S. Courthouse in New York, NY at 40 Foley Square. The main phone number of the courthouse is 212-857-8500.

There is currently one Chief Judge, 12 additional active service judges, and 10 senior status judges. There is a link on the webpage providing information for litigants who would like to file a formal complaint about the conduct of the judges. However, if the complaint is specifically about the decision made in their case, they may file for a possible appeal with the Supreme Court if they choose to hear the case.

The Chief Judge office is rotated among the currently active justices. Requirements for this administrative position include that the judge must first serve at least seven years or be 70 years old. However, this requirement is waived if no one meets these requirements. Upon retirement, the judge becomes a senior judge and the President chooses a succeeding judge to fill their seat.

You may find necessary forms for costs, initiating a case, attorney applications and other acknowlegements at http://www.ca2.uscourts.gov/clerk/Forms_and_instructions/forms_home.htm.

Dockets are able to be searched through PACER, though you must first become a subscribed user of the system. Thereafter, you may search for case records at https://ecf.ca2.uscourts.gov/cmecf/servlet/TransportRoom?servlet=CaseSearch.jsp. If the case you're interested in was filed before the year 2010, you must use the portal at https://pacer.login.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl?court_id=02ca.