Final answer:
There are thirteen U.S. courts of appeals in the federal system. Each circuit court is overseen by a rotating panel of three judges and their rulings can be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Step-by-step explanation:
There are thirteen U.S. courts of appeals, or circuit courts, in the federal system. These include eleven across the nation and two in Washington, DC (the DC circuit and the federal circuit courts).
Each court is overseen by a rotating panel of three judges who review the rulings of the trial (district) courts within their geographic circuit. These circuit courts are often referred to as the intermediate appellate courts of the federal system.
The rulings of the circuit courts can be appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court.