5th Cir. R. 47.5 — Publication of Opinions

High confidence· verified September 26, 2026Local Rules

Summary

5th Cir. R. 47.5 — Publication of Opinions: the court's own rule, verbatim from RULES and INTERNAL OPERATING PROCEDURES OF THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT (December 2025), official PDF, sha-custodied. Court-level requirement: applies to appeals in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit alongside the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure.

Requirement

47.5.1 Criteria for Publication. The publication of opinions that merely decide particular cases on the basis of well-settled principles of law imposes needless expense on the public and burdens on the legal profession. However, opinions that may in any way interest persons other than the parties to a case should be published. Therefore, an opinion is published if it: (a) Establishes a new rule of law, alters, or modifies an existing rule of law, or calls attention to an existing rule of law that appears to have been generally overlooked; (b) Applies an established rule of law to facts significantly different from those in previous published opinions applying the rule; (c) Explains, criticizes, or reviews the history of existing decisional or enacted law; (d) Creates or resolves a conflict of authority either within the circuit or between this circuit and another; (e) Concerns or discusses a factual or legal issue of significant public interest; or (f) Is rendered in a case that has been reviewed previously and its merits addressed by an opinion of the United States Supreme Court. An opinion may also be published if it: Is accompanied by a concurring or dissenting opinion; or reverses the decision below or affirms it upon different grounds. 47.5.2 Publication Decision. An opinion will be published unless each member of the panel deciding the case determines that its publication is neither required nor justified under the criteria for publication. If any judge of the court or any party so requests the panel will reconsider its decision not to publish an opinion. The opinion will be published if, upon reconsideration, each member of the panel determines that it meets one or more of the criteria for publication or should be published for any other good reason, and the panel issues an order to publish the opinion. 47.5.3 Unpublished Opinions Issued Before January 1, 1996. Unpublished opinions issued before January 1, 1996, are precedent. Although every opinion believed to have precedential value is published, an unpublished opinion may be cited pursuant to FED. R. APP. P. 32.1(a). The party citing to an unpublished judicial disposition must provide a citation to the disposition in a publicly accessible electronic database. If the disposition is not available in an electronic database, a copy of any unpublished opinion cited in any document being submitted to the court, must be attached to each copy of the document, as required by FED. R. APP. P. 32.1(b). 47.5.4 Unpublished Opinions Issued on or After January 1, 1996. Unpublished opinions issued on or after January 1, 1996, are not precedent, except under the doctrine of res judicata, collateral estoppel or law of the case (or similarly to show double jeopardy, notice, sanctionable conduct, entitlement to attorney's fees, or the like). An unpublished opinion may be cited pursuant to FED. R. APP. P. 32.1(a). The party citing to an unpublished judicial disposition should provide a citation to the disposition in a publicly accessible electronic database. If the disposition is not available in an electronic database, a copy of any unpublished opinion cited in any document being submitted to the court must be attached to each copy of the document, as required by FED. R. APP. P. 32.1(b). The first page of each unpublished opinion bears the following legend: This opinion is not designated for publication. See 5TH CIR. R. 47.5. 47.5.5 Definition of "Published." An opinion is considered as "published" for purposes of this rule when the panel deciding the case determines, in accordance with 5TH CIR. R. 47.5.2, that the opinion will be published and the opinion is issued.

Source of truth

47.5.1 Criteria for Publication. The publication of opinions that merely decide particular cases on the basis of well-settled principles of law imposes needless expense on the public and burdens on the legal profession. However, opinions that may in any way interest persons other

Official source: U.S. Court of Appeals — Fifth Circuit (Rules & Procedures)
Source health: Healthy · checked October 4, 2026
Effective date: —
Last verified: September 26, 2026benchpath-appfed-rules-2026-09-25

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