Fed. Cir.

Doe v. United States

June 10, 2026 ·26-1276 ·Panel Decision · By Raj Patel

The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit dismissed an appeal regarding a ministerial order from the Court of Federal Claims. The court held that such administrative housekeeping decisions do not constitute final decisions subject to appellate review.

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Background

In September two thousand twenty-five, the court previously dismissed an appeal from the Court of Federal Claims. In December two thousand twenty-five, the appellant filed a new appeal seeking review of the Court of Federal Claims’s rejection of her Certificate of Service in a closed case. The United States urged dismissal, and the appellant sought various relief.

The court’s reasoning

The court’s jurisdiction is limited to the review of final decisions by the Court of Federal Claims under Section twenty-eight United States Code, twelve ninety-five, subsection a, paragraph three. Ministerial orders and administrative decisions are not the kind of decisions or orders subject to such appellate review. The court found no basis to allow an appeal from an order merely performing housekeeping functions based on prior judicial rulings.

What it means going forward

This order confirms that parties cannot appeal ministerial or housekeeping orders from the Court of Federal Claims, limiting appellate review strictly to final decisions on the merits.