Pursuant to the Federal Courts Improvement Act of 1982, signed into law by President Reagan in a Rose Garden ceremony at the White House on April 2, 1982, the new United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit was created.

 

The Federal Circuit was formed from the merger of two prior Article III courts, the United States Court of Claims, and the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals. The judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit assumed their responsibilities in a historic Inaugural Session on October 1, 1982, after being administered the Judicial Oath of Office by the Chief Justice of the United States.