United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit

The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (in <a href="/facts/Case_citation/EGhw3TGz">case citations</a>, 1st Cir.) is a <a href="/facts/United_States_federal_court/RfX1mMs6">federal court</a> with <a href="/facts/Appellate_jurisdiction/f2qgLakM">appellate jurisdiction</a> over the <a href="/facts/United_States_district_court/xBcpTCp0">district courts</a> in the following <a href="/facts/United_States_federal_judicial_district/PfpALkrT">districts</a>:

<ul><li><a href="/facts/United_States_District_Court_for_the_District_of_Maine/qXaWU6ov">District of Maine</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/United_States_District_Court_for_the_District_of_Massachusetts/VfTFcdLI">District of Massachusetts</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/United_States_District_Court_for_the_District_of_New_Hampshire/4W2EqIGU">District of New Hampshire</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/United_States_District_Court_for_the_District_of_Puerto_Rico/4d0YfDx1">District of Puerto Rico</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/United_States_District_Court_for_the_District_of_Rhode_Island/DnDl76kL">District of Rhode Island</a></li></ul>
The court is based at the <a href="/facts/John_Joseph_Moakley_Federal_Courthouse/N7sz0CTv">John Joseph Moakley Federal Courthouse</a> in <a href="/facts/Boston%2c_Massachusetts/exjfn6xf">Boston, Massachusetts</a>. Most sittings are held in Boston, where the court usually sits for one week most months of the year; in one of July or August, it takes a summer break and does not sit. The First Circuit also sits for one week each March and November at the <a href="/facts/Jose_V._Toledo_Federal_Building_and_United_States_Courthouse/6yvW4wko">Jose V. Toledo Federal Building and United States Courthouse</a> in <a href="/facts/Old_San_Juan%2c_Puerto_Rico/nNSSL51a">Old San Juan, Puerto Rico</a>, and occasionally sits at other locations within the circuit.
With six active judges and four active senior judges, the First Circuit has the fewest judges of any of the thirteen <a href="/facts/United_States_court_of_appeals/BffEuR1j">United States courts of appeals</a>. It covers most of <a href="/facts/New_England/ufw2BmSl">New England</a>, as well as <a href="/facts/Puerto_Rico/jVStMyG4">Puerto Rico</a>. Following his retirement from the <a href="/facts/Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States/rJHothwW">Supreme Court</a> in 2009, <a href="/facts/Associate_Justice/aRsBsb2Y">Associate Justice</a> <a href="/facts/David_Souter/qEj16AQw">David Souter</a> occasionally sat on the First Circuit <a href="/facts/By_designation/LB2sqIRd">by designation</a>. Former justice <a href="/facts/Stephen_Breyer/kNY5nP3Q">Stephen Breyer</a> began to do so in 2025.

United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit open-in-new

United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit