Bar Admission

Attorneys representing or participating in cases before this court must be admitted to its bar. See Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 46(a) and Ninth Circuit Rule 46-1 (PDF).

Once admitted, an attorney is admitted for life unless the court orders otherwise.

Admission Information

You must already be admitted to practice (and in good standing) in one of these courts:

The U.S. Supreme Court
Another U.S. Court of Appeals
Any U.S. District Court
The highest state appellate court of any U.S. state
Federal government attorneys representing the U.S. or its agencies must apply for admission. But, you don't need to pay the admission fee while you work for the government.

The one-time admission fee is $230.00.

Download and fill out Form 31. Application and Oath for Admission. Save it as a PDF.
Find a current member of this court’s bar to sponsor you. (You can skip this step if you were sworn in at a mass ceremony for the Ninth Circuit in the past three months.)
Make sure your sponsor is a member before you submit your application. Otherwise, it may be delayed.
If you can’t find a sponsor, you can still submit the form. The clerk will sponsor you if they can verify your bar admission to one of the court's listed above.
Submit your application electronically to CM/ECF.
If you don't already have a PACER account, set one up. (PACER enables access to CM/ECF.)
Log into PACER.
Choose Utilities > Bar Admission.
Upload your completed Form 31.
Pay the bar admission fee by credit card.
If you applied for and got an exemption from using CM/ECF, email attorneyadmission@ca9.uscourts.gov for help.

Attorneys representing cases before this court should understand Circuit Rules 46-2 through 46-5 (PDF). These cover:

Last updated February 3, 2026