Bankruptcy Appellate Panel (BAP)

A panel of judges of the U.S. bankruptcy courts who are appointed to hear appeals of certain bankruptcy decisions. For example, a panel of nine BAP judges, sitting in three panels of three judges, hears cases in the 10th Circuit. Since the rules require that bankruptcy decisions are normally appealed to the U.S. District Court, parties to the appeal must consent to the appeal being heard by the BAP. Currently, only the First, Sixth, Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Circuits have BAPs. The U.S. District Courts handle appeals from the bankruptcy courts in those circuits that have chosen not to have a BAP panel. 28 U.S.C. § 158(b).