The Fonts of the U.S. Federal Courts
The U.S. federal courts of appeals have varying typographic styles, with most using Times New Roman. The Fifth Circuit recently upgraded to the Equity font, which has been praised for its legibility and aesthetics. The Supreme Court maintains a consistent use of Century Schoolbook, reflecting a long-standing tradition in its document formatting.
- ▪The Ninth Circuit uses Times New Roman for its decisions, while the First and Fourth Circuits use Courier New.
- ▪The Fifth Circuit switched from Century Schoolbook to Equity in 2020, which has been positively received.
- ▪The U.S. Supreme Court requires submissions to be typeset in a Century family font, maintaining a consistent style for over a century.
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The Fonts of the U.S. Federal Courts Friday, 22 May 2026 The 13 circuits of the U.S. federal courts of appeals operate with a fair amount of independence, including their typographic choices. I was reminded of this today while reading the aforelinked decision from the Ninth Circuit in Epic v. Apple, because the Ninth Circuit sets their decisions in Times New Roman — a font that came up back in December in the context of the Trump State Department. Long argument short, Times New Roman isn’t bad, but it isn’t good. It is the median choice. But most of the circuit courts use it: the Third, Sixth, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Daring Fireball.
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