Appeals
The 94 U.S. judicial districts are organized into 12
- Court of Appeals
regional circuits, each of which has a United States court of appeals. A court
of appeals hears appeals from the district courts located within its circuit, as
well as appeals from decisions of federal administrative agencies.
In addition, the Court of Appeals for the Federal
Circuit has nationwide jurisdiction to hear appeals in specialized cases, such
as those involving patent laws and cases decided by the Court of International
Trade and the Court of Federal Claims.
US immigration laws are structured in such a way that government agencies – not the courts – decide immigration disputes. The same agencies also handle appeals to their decisions. During the appeals process, the original applicant or petitioner can have the first decision reversed by a higher authority within the agency.
Amnesty Program for Traffic Tickets
Starting January 1st through June 30th, 2012, drivers who have old unpaid
traffic tickets might be able to catch a break. Certain unpaid traffic tickets
are eligible for a 50 percent discount – if you clear the debt during this 6
month amnesty period.
The program includes all adult and juvenile vehicle code and non vehicle code
infractions. Other traffic tickets due to be paid before January 1, 2009 could
qualify too, but you will have to check with the court in the county where you
got the ticket.
There are exclusions: no parking tickets, no DUIs, no reckless driving are
eligible for the discount.*
Now here is the fine print – ALL of the following conditions must be met to
be eligible:
- You have an outstanding traffic debt that was due to be paid in full before
January 1, 2009; - The last date you made a payment was on or before January 1, 2009;
- You either failed to appear in court or failed to pay in ful;
- You do not owe restitution to a victim on any case within the county where
the violation was filed; AND - You have no outstanding misdemeanor or felony warrants within the county
where the violation was filed.
If other fees and assessments were added to your original fine, those will
also be discounted 50 percent. The total amount you owe can be cut in half. You
will have to pay if off in one lump sum, but you may be able to use a credit
card. Cash and checks usually work, too. For details, and to check eligibility
for your overdue court-ordered debt, contact the court where you got your
violation after January 1, 2012
