en banc

adverb or adjective

äⁿ-ˈbäⁿk 

: in full court : with full judiciary authority

Examples of en banc in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The original decision was made by a three-judge panel, but the en banc panel will have 11 judges. — Andy Rose, CNN Money, 28 Oct. 2025

But the decision was vacated in October as the court agreed to an en banc review, meaning with all of its judges. — Brieanna J. Frank, USA Today, 23 Feb. 2026

They were eventually upheld by the 9th Circuit Court in an en banc ruling. — Los Angeles Times, 30 June 2026

The appeals court said the judges who ruled against Habba did not request a rehearing, and that a majority of the full court voted against taking the case en banc. — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 27 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French, on the bench

First Known Use

1854, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for en banc

• gangplank
• nonbank
• outflank
• sandbank
• antitank
• interbank
• riverbank
• bank
• blank
• clank
• crank
• dank

Legal Definition

en banc

adverb or adjective

variants also in banc also in bank

in-ˈbaŋk, äⁿ-ˈbäⁿk

: with all judges or a quorum of judges present : in full court

an en banc rehearing

heard very few matters en banc

—H. B. Zobel

Etymology

Anglo-French en banke, literally, on the bench