5th Cir. R. 8.6 — Consideration of Merits — TX · BenchPath
5th Cir. R. 8.6 — Consideration of Merits
High confidence· verified September 26, 2026Local Rules
Summary
5th Cir. R. 8.6 — Consideration of Merits: 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
If a certificate of appealability has been granted,
the panel assigned to decide a motion for a stay of a state court judgment must, before denying
a stay, consider and expressly rule on the merits of the appeal, unless the panel finds that the
appeal is frivolous and entirely without merit.
Source of truth
If a certificate of appealability has been granted,
the panel assigned to decide a motion for a stay of a state court judgment must, before denying
a stay, consider and expressly rule on the merits of the appeal, unless the panel finds that the
appeal is frivolous and entirely wi