, home of the Fifth Circuit, New Orleans This court was created by the
Evarts Act on June 16, 1891, which moved the circuit judges and appellate jurisdiction from the Circuit Courts of the Fifth Circuit to this court. At the time of its creation, the Fifth Circuit covered
Florida,
Georgia,
Alabama,
Mississippi,
Louisiana, and
Texas. On June 25, 1948, the
Panama Canal Zone was added to the Fifth Circuit by 62 Stat. 870. The Fifth Circuit gained appellate jurisdiction over the
United States District Court for the Canal Zone. On October 1, 1981, under , the Fifth Circuit was split: Alabama, Georgia, and Florida were moved to the new
Eleventh Circuit. On March 31, 1982, the Fifth Circuit lost jurisdiction over the Panama Canal Zone, which was transferred to Panamanian control.
Fifth Circuit Four Starting in the late 1950s, judges
Elbert Parr Tuttle (chief judge 1960–1967),
John Minor Wisdom,
John R. Brown (chief judge 1967–1979), and
Richard T. Rives (chief judge 1959–60) became known as the "
Fifth Circuit Four", or simply "The Four", for decisions crucial in advancing the
civil rights of
African Americans. In this, they were usually opposed by their fellow Fifth Circuit Judge,
Benjamin F. Cameron of Mississippi, until his death in 1964. During this era, the role of the Fifth Circuit in civil rights caused the court to be nicknamed the "Supreme Court of
Dixie".
2020s During his first administration, President
Donald Trump appointed six judges to the court, with many observers thereafter regarding it as the most conservative
court of appeals. The Fifth Circuit's reversal rate at the
US Supreme Court from the beginning of the 2020 term through the end of the 2022 term was 74%, making it the 7th most frequently reversed circuit court; the average rate of reversals was 68%. Some members of the Supreme Court, including Chief Justice
John Roberts, have indicated concern with how the Fifth Circuit approaches cases. Several court observers have interpreted the court as being exceptionally conservative in its rulings. == Current composition of the court ==