
From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
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[Laws in effect as of January 23, 2000]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
  January 23, 2000 and December 4, 2001]
[CITE: 38USC7254]

 
                      TITLE 38--VETERANS' BENEFITS
 
              PART V--BOARDS, ADMINISTRATIONS, AND SERVICES
 
     CHAPTER 72--UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR VETERANS CLAIMS
 
               SUBCHAPTER I--ORGANIZATION AND JURISDICTION
 
Sec. 7254. Organization

    (a) The Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims shall have a seal which 
shall be judicially noticed.
    (b) The Court may hear cases by judges sitting alone or in panels, 
as determined pursuant to procedures established by the Court. Any such 
panel shall have not less than three judges. The Court shall establish 
procedures for the assignment of the judges of the Court to such panels 
and for the designation of the chief of each such panel.
    (c)(1) A majority of the judges of the Court shall constitute a 
quorum for the transaction of the business of the Court. A vacancy in 
the Court shall not impair the powers or affect the duties of the Court 
or of the remaining judges of the Court.
    (2) A majority of the judges of a panel of the Court shall 
constitute a quorum for the transaction of the business of the panel. A 
vacancy in a panel of the Court shall not impair the powers or affect 
the duties of the panel or of the remaining judges of the panel.
    (d) Precedence of Judges.--The chief judge of the Court shall have 
precedence and preside at any session that the chief judge attends. The 
other judges shall have precedence and preside according to the 
seniority of their original commissions. Judges whose commissions bear 
the same date shall have precedence according to seniority in age.
    (e) Judges of the Court shall have the authority to administer 
oaths.

(Added Pub. L. 100-687, div. A, title III, Sec. 301(a), Nov. 18, 1988, 
102 Stat. 4114, Sec. 4054; amended Pub. L. 101-94, title IV, Sec. 402, 
Aug. 16, 1989, 103 Stat. 628; Pub. L. 101-237, title VI, Sec. 602(b), 
Dec. 18, 1989, 103 Stat. 2095; renumbered Sec. 7254, Pub. L. 102-40, 
title IV, Sec. 402(b)(1), May 7, 1991, 105 Stat. 238; Pub. L. 102-54, 
Sec. 14(e)(4), June 13, 1991, 105 Stat. 287; Pub. L. 102-82, Sec. 8(3), 
Aug. 6, 1991, 105 Stat. 377; Pub. L. 105-368, title V, Sec. 512(a)(1), 
Nov. 11, 1998, 112 Stat. 3341; Pub. L. 106-117, title X, Sec. 1034, Nov. 
30, 1999, 113 Stat. 1595.)


                               Amendments

    1999--Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 106-117 inserted heading and amended text 
of subsec. (d) generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: ``In 
the event of a vacancy in the position of chief judge of the Court, the 
associate judge senior in service on the Court shall serve as acting 
chief judge unless the President designates one of the other associate 
judges to serve as acting chief judge, in which case the judge so 
designated shall serve as acting chief judge.''
    1998--Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 105-368 substituted ``Court of Appeals 
for Veterans Claims'' for ``Court of Veterans Appeals''.
    1991--Pub. L. 102-40 renumbered section 4054 of this title as this 
section.
    Subsecs. (d), (e). Pub. L. 102-54 amended section as in effect 
immediately before the enactment of Pub. L. 102-40, and Pub. L. 102-82 
amended section, identically, by redesignating the second subsec. (d), 
relating to authority to administer oaths as, (e).
    1989--Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 101-237 added subsec. (d) relating to 
authority to administer oaths.
    Pub. L. 101-94 added subsec. (d) relating to acting chief judge in 
event of vacancy.


                    Effective Date of 1999 Amendment

    Amendment by Pub. L. 106-117 effective Nov. 30, 1999, with savings 
provision for incumbent chief judge, see section 1036 of Pub. L. 106-
117, set out as a note under section 7253 of this title.


                    Effective Date of 1998 Amendment

    Amendment by Pub. L. 105-368 effective on first day of first month 
beginning more than 90 days after Nov. 11, 1998, see section 513 of Pub. 
L. 105-368, set out as a note under section 7251 of this title.
