What is the appellate system?

Understanding the appellate system—and who holds power within it—is key to understanding its impact on our communities.

What is at stake in appellate rulings?

Appellate decisions shape nearly every aspect of public life. A single ruling can affect millions of people and set precedent for decades. Yet this system often operates out of public view, governed by complex procedures and traditions that can make it difficult to access or even understand.

While the U.S. Supreme Court is the highest appellate court, it hears less than 2% of the cases it is asked to review. This means that in 98% of appeals, lower appellate courts have the final say.

How do appellate courts work?

Appellate courts, at both the state and federal levels, review decisions made by lower (trial) courts. Their rulings shape how future cases are decided and how laws and rights are interpreted.

These decisions are made without juries, often by judges with lifetime appointments, giving them long-term influence over how the law is applied.

A small, powerful group of appellate attorneys plays an outsized role in deciding which cases to bring forward and how legal strategies evolve over time. Many go on to become judges, solicitors general, or other legal leaders whose decisions shape the law for generations. For most litigants, appellate courts are the last opportunity to right a wrong. This makes it all the more critical that the judges and advocates in these spaces reflect the communities they serve.

Each appellate court has wide geographic reach and influence.

A ruling from one federal circuit court sets binding precedent for all states within that circuit, and a ruling by a state’s supreme court impacts every person in that state.

Decisions from one appellate circuit can also influence how judges rule in others. For example, if the Ninth Circuit is deciding a new legal issue related to executive power, that will shape the thinking in every other federal appellate court that hears a related case afterward. The ripple effect is real, and the stakes are high.

Appellate Resources

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Resources

What Is an Inn of Court—And Why It Matters for Aspiring Appellate Leaders

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TAP alumni had the rare opportunity to attend a private event hosted by the Edward Coke Appellate Inn of Court—the first and only American Inn of Court dedicated specifically to appellate practice.

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5 Statistics That Explain Why TAP Exists

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We believe the future of appellate law can and should reflect the full experiences and perspectives of our nation.

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in their words

As a Black woman arguing Buck v. Davis before the Supreme Court, I stood as a living refutation of the race-as-dangerousness opinion at the heart of the case. And as one of the only women of color in the appellate field, I know how important it is to see yourself represented in these spaces. That’s why TAP’s mission to elevate underrepresented leaders in appellate law is so critical.

Christina Swarns
Executive Director
Innocence Project
With over 25 years of experience as an appellate and Supreme Court lawyer in both government and private practice, I have seen firsthand that the appellate bar lacks diversity. While many students can easily enter the world of appellate practice through familial or social connections, others face serious entry-level hurdles – like not knowing about internship and clerkship opportunities. These barriers aren’t about talent, dedication, or hard work: they’re about access. And ultimately, they keep promising young professionals from entering the appellate community. TAP is here to change that.

Sarah Harrington
Partner
Covington & Burling LLP
If the “life of the law … has been experience,” its death knell surely is groupthink. Without the reasoned disagreement and vibrant debate associated with diverse experiences, the law is destined to become brittle dogma untethered to the promotion of equal justice. TAP understands this. That is why it paves the road to an appellate system where judges and advocates tend to reflect the different backgrounds and perspectives of the communities they serve.

Cesar Lopez-Morales
Supreme Court & Appellate Counsel
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
Like many other first-generation lawyers, I didn’t know that appellate work was even a thing when I started law school. So I was lucky to have mentors like (now Judge) Vince Chhabria (while still in law school) and (now Chief Judge) Sri Srinivasan (while at the SG’s office) who set me on the right path. But TAP has taken it to a new level to afford such valuable mentorship to a much broader group of aspiring appellate advocates.

Pratik Shah
Head of Supreme Court & Appellate Practice
Akin
The Appellate Project is doing incredible work to reach and educate students who may not realize that judicial internships and clerkships are both accessible and to their benefit as they begin their legal careers. In fact, one of my term law clerks was a TAP mentee. The program helped him find opportunities that led to a district court clerkship and then to an appellate clerkship with me. I look forward to continuing to receive applications from students who are working with TAP.

Honorable O. Rogeriee Thompson
U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
As an appellate lawyer and former federal appellate judge, I know how appellate courts shape every facet of American life—and how the lawyers and judges in these rooms still don’t reflect the diversity of the communities most impacted by their decisions. The Appellate Project is changing that by opening doors to emerging leaders who have too often been excluded from these spaces. TAP’s work is critical to ensuring that our highest courts remain both fair and credible in the eyes of the people they serve.

Judge Paul Watford (Ret.)
Partner, King & Spalding LLP
TAP Board Member
The Appellate Project is an invaluable resource for future Native American lawyers. Native Americans possess unique rights that are often decided in the appellate courts. Preparing the next generation of Native attorneys to be effective appellate advocates is thus critical to the future of Indian law.

Lenny Powell
Staff Attorney
Native American Rights Fund
TAP fills an important role of demystifying and cracking open the appellate bar through mentorship and community. This is key in creating a more representative group of practitioners and judges, who help tee up and decide important questions for the whole country.

Devi Rao
Director of the Supreme Court and Appellate Program
MacArthur Justice Center
The Appellate Project is invaluable. It makes the appellate world accessible to students who might otherwise find it intimidating, and it equips future leaders from diverse backgrounds with the mentorship, skills, and community to thrive.

Deepak Gupta
Founding Principal, Gupta Wessler LLP and Lecturer, Harvard Law School
TAP affirms what so many of us need to hear: that even when the path feels unfamiliar, we still belong in the room. At the Edward Coke Appellate Inn, I was reminded that even those great advocates we now admire, once felt uncertain too. But they didn’t close the door behind them – they reached back. And through TAP, they continue to do so. That kind of access doesn’t just open doors – it helps us walk into dreams once deferred, and long deserved.

Torrell Mills
2022-23 TAP Alum
Georgetown University Law Center, Class of 2023
TAP has been transformative in my law school journey, building my confidence and reinforcing that there is a place for me—and others like me—here.

William Vandergriff
2024 TAP Alum
Mitchell Hamline School of Law, Class of 2026
The J.M.K. Innovation Prize supports bold, early-stage problem-solvers leading groundbreaking projects across the US. We saw an extraordinary opportunity in The Appellate Project, which seeks to transform the pipeline of talent that feeds our nation’s highest courts. We’ve invested in TAP because of its visionary, creative approach to dismantling systemic barriers and ensuring equal justice under the law for all communities.

Julia Bator
Executive Director
J.M. Kaplan Fund
Taking part in TAP's inaugural class of mentees allowed me to join a community of like-minded law students and lawyers of color interested in appellate work. Serving as a mentor over the past two years has enabled me to give back and further develop this community. I am humbled to be a part of TAP since its inception, and I look forward to volunteering in the years to come!

Ayyan Zubair
2020-21 TAP Alum
UC Berkeley School of Law, Class of 2021
As a first-generation law student, TAP has served as an invaluable resource for me. I am especially appreciative of the academic and professional opportunities that TAP has provided. Specifically, I’ve had access to phenomenal mentors, attended workshops to improve my legal writing, and have spoken with sitting state and federal judges to learn what they look for in a successful law clerk.

Alex Bailey
2021-22 TAP Alum
University of Illinois College of Law, Class of 2023
TAP does more than connect students with people who have successfully cracked into the field—it gives them the chance to form connections with lawyers who have done so at the highest levels. I know I would not be where I am without the group of people—including the folks at TAP—who took me under their wings. The best thing I can do in return is pay it forward.

Darryl E. Williams, Jr.
2020-21 TAP Alum
Howard University School of Law, Class of 2022
The Appellate Project provided me with a safe space to learn from various appellate attorneys and provided me with a wonderful community across the country. Participating in the program allowed me to better understand the world of appellate advocacy and it reaffirmed my commitment to seeking justice through the legal profession.

Christina Cruz
2021-22 TAP Alum
University of Connecticut School of Law, Class of 2024
As a second career student—eight years removed from school—I especially appreciated TAP's 1:1 Legal Writing Program. My TAP legal writing coaches provided clear, practical, and actionable feedback on my writing throughout the year. And TAP’s legal writing trainings helped me identify great writing and understand the ‘science’ behind good prose. Thanks to TAP, I have become a clearer, punchier, and more succinct legal writer.

Nicole Williams
2021-22 TAP Alum
Temple University Beasley School of Law, Class of 2025
There are not many words that can describe the level of gratitude I have for TAP pairing me with Armani. He’s helped me navigate 18+ clerkship interviews, life decisions, career goals—every step of the way. When he couldn’t find an affordable flight, he rented a car, grabbed his fiancée, and drove five hours while working from the road to attend my swearing-in. I really consider myself lucky.

Kendrick Peterson
2022-23 TAP Alum
UC Berkeley School of Law, Class of 2024
Attending oral arguments at the First Circuit was particularly meaningful for me, given the fact that one of the cases we heard will determine the fate of my sister Tribe’s reservation lands. Hearing advocates on both sides debate the Tribe’s past, present, and future reminded me how important it is to have members of our communities represented in the appellate field, helping create binding precedents that promote tribal sovereignty and self-determination.

Samantha Maltais
2022-23 TAP Alum
Harvard Law School, Class of 2024