The U.S. Court of Appeals is broken up into 13 Circuits. Which Circuit does Idaho fall under?

• A. 5th
• B. 13th
• C. 9th
• D. 2nd

Answer: (C)

When you think about where a federal appeal goes, you start with geography. Idaho sits in the western part of the United States, and the federal courts organize their appellate review by circuits that cover geographic regions. The circuit that includes Idaho—and that handles appeals from district courts in Idaho—is the Ninth Circuit. That circuit also includes other western states, so decisions from Idaho’s district court would be reviewed there.

The other options don’t fit because they correspond to different regions: the Fifth Circuit covers Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi; the Second Circuit covers New York, Connecticut, and Vermont; and there isn’t a current thirteenth circuit.