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The Dog That Didn't Bark: Stealth Procedures And The Erosion Of Stare Decisis In The Federal Courts Of Appeal, Amy E. Sloan

Fordham Law Review

Informal en banc review is a procedural expedient that nine of the the thirteen federal circuits use to circumvent the requirements of formal en banc review. Panels invoke informal en banc review to overrule prior panel precdent in contravention of the law of the circuit rule, as well as to take other actions normally reserved for the full court sitting en banc. The circuits taht use informal en banc review say the procedure is to be used rarely. In practice, however, the frequency of informal in banc review is significant when compared with formal en banc review. Informal en banc …