The US appellate courts are the intermediate appellate courts of the United States federal court system.  A court of appeals decides appeals from the district courts within its federal judicial circuit, and in some instances from other designated federal courts and administrative agencies.  There are 13 United States courts of appeals.  There are other tribunals such as the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, which hears appeals in court-martial cases, and the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, which reviews final decisions by the Board of Veterans’ Appeals in the Department of Veterans Affairs that have “Court of Appeals” in their titles. The eleven “numbered” circuits and the D.C. Circuit are geographically defined.  The thirteenth court of appeals is the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which has nationwide jurisdiction over certain appeals based on their subject matter.  The Federal Circuit hears appeals from specialized trial courts, primarily the United States Court of International Trade and the United States Court of Federal Claims, as well as appeals from the district courts in patent cases and certain other specialized matters.