What term refers to when an appellate court that normally sits in panels sits as a whole?

• A. Writ of certiorari
• B. General jurisdiction
• C. En banc
• D. Court of record

Answer: (C)

En banc describes when the entire appellate court sits together in a decision, rather than a smaller panel of judges. This full-court session is used to achieve a more authoritative ruling, often to resolve conflicts among panel decisions or to address issues of significant importance. When a case is heard en banc, the active judges of the court review and issue a new ruling, which carries binding weight for that court.

Writ of certiorari is about bringing a case to the Supreme Court from a lower court, not about how the appellate court sits. General jurisdiction refers to the breadth of a court’s authority to hear a wide range of cases, not the composition of the court when deciding a case. Court of record describes whether the court’s proceedings are officially recorded and preserved, not the seating arrangement of the judges.