PDF《THE CIRCUIT COURTS》

45 percent of the cases that are decided on the merits. See infra note

216 and accompanying text. 10. The federal courts of appeals provide some information about their case-management procedures in their local rules and operating procedures, but these documents rarely give a detailed account of how appeals are treated. For example, the Fourth Circuit notes in its Local LEVY IN PRINTER PROOF 10/13/2011 9:48:38 AM 2011] THE MECHANICS OF FEDERAL APPEALS

319 that has been culled from in-person interviews with federal appellate judges, clerks of court, chief circuit mediators, and senior staff attorneys. A thorough account of case management, bolstered by statistical evidence from the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, reveals the great extent to which these practices vary across circuits. When it comes to deciding whether a case will be placed on the oral- argument calendar or will be dec........