Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure

The Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure (FRAP) were first effective in 1968 and were last amended in 2021. Just like the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, the Supreme Court has the power through 28 U.S.C. § 2072 to prescribe these Rules. The Rules are prescribed by the Supreme Court and transmitted to Congress before they take effect. The Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure covers topics such as the right to appeal, the process of an appeal, requirements for filings, costs, and more. In addition, individual appellate courts may have their own rules.

The official version of the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure can be found at https://www.uscourts.gov/rules-policies/current-rules-practice-procedure. The amendments scheduled to take effect on December 1, 2023 can be found at https://www.supremecourt.gov/orders/courtorders/frap23_qol1.pdf. The following version of the rules includes these amendments.