France · Court of appeal · administrative justice
Cour administrative d'appel de Nantes
In 2025, the Cour administrative d'appel de Nantes issued 3,065 decisions, 15% fewer than in 2024. 73% of the decisions with a stated outcome are dismissals and a case is decided in a median of 11 months (respectively 75% and 15 months for all administrative courts of appeal).
- Decisions in 20253,065−15% over one year
- Dismissal rate73%against 75% for all administrative courts of appeal
- Median time11 monthsagainst 15 months for all administrative courts of appeal
- Share of appeal decisions11%of all administrative courts of appeal in 2025
Activity year by year
This section follows, year by year, the number of decisions published by the Cour administrative d'appel de Nantes, from 2023 to 2025. This number measures judicial output: it is not the same as the number of appeals filed in the same year, because a case may be decided months after it was filed.
The number of decisions of the Cour administrative d'appel de Nantes fell every year, from 3,670 in 2023 to 3,065 in 2025. In 2025, it accounts for 11% of the 27,140 decisions published by all administrative courts of appeal (13% in 2023). The dismissal rate is 73% in 2025, against 76% in 2023; the median time is 11 months in 2025 as in 2023.
| Year | Decisions | Change | Dismissal rate | Median time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 3,670 | – | 76% | 11 months |
| 2024 | 3,612 | −2% | 73% | 12 months |
| 2025 | 3,065 | −15% | 73% | 11 months |
Series start in 2023, the first full year in which the decisions of the Cour administrative d'appel de Nantes were published. Rate and time not computed below 200 decisions in the year.
Subjects of the cases
Decisions are sorted by subject according to the legal texts they cite: immigration, planning and building permits, tax, civil service, housing… The table shows the subjects that occupy the Cour administrative d'appel de Nantes, how the share of each compares with that of all administrative courts of appeal, and how the dismissal rate and the median time change from one subject to another.
Immigration is the most frequent subject before the Cour administrative d'appel de Nantes: 1,578 decisions in 2025 (24% fewer than in 2024), that is 51% of the decisions of the Cour administrative d'appel de Nantes, against 51% for all administrative courts of appeal. It is followed by planning and building permits (6%) and tax (4%). Other matters, meaning decisions without a characteristic legal text, account for 26% of the decisions. The distribution by subject is close to that for all administrative courts of appeal: the gap stays under 5 points for each subject.
| Subject | Decisions 2025 | Share | Share: Administrative courts of appeal | Dismissal rate | Median time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Immigration | 1,578 | 51% | 51% | 81% | 8 months |
| Planning and building permits | 172 | 6% | 4% | – | – |
| Tax | 129 | 4% | 8% | – | – |
| Civil service | 118 | 4% | 6% | – | – |
| Environment and agriculture | 68 | 2% | 2% | – | – |
| Local authorities and public property | 42 | 1% | 2% | – | – |
| Employment law | 41 | 1% | 2% | – | – |
| Social welfare | 35 | 1% | 1% | – | – |
| Public health | 26 | 1% | 1% | – | – |
| Policing | 20 | 1% | 1% | – | – |
| Public procurement | 12 | 0.4% | 1% | – | – |
| Housing | 11 | 0.4% | 0.3% | – | – |
| Education | 7 | 0.2% | 0.3% | – | – |
| Driving licences | 2 | 0.1% | 0.2% | – | – |
| Other matters | 804 | 26% | 19% | 60% | 13 months |
Subject determined from the legal texts cited in each decision; “other matters” groups decisions without a characteristic text. Rate and time not computed below 200 decisions in the year.
Time to judgment
Time to judgment is the time between the filing of the application and the decision. It is summarised by the median: half of the cases are decided faster, the other half more slowly; the quartiles frame this benchmark. Only judgments and rulings count, not orders. The chart spreads the decisions of the Cour administrative d'appel de Nantes over bands of duration.
In 2025, the median time from filing to decision at the Cour administrative d'appel de Nantes is 11 months: a quarter of the cases are decided in less than 8 months, a quarter wait more than 15 months. This median was 12 months in 2024. It is lower than the median for all administrative courts of appeal (15 months). The time is calculated on 1,788 of the 3,065 decisions of the year (judgments and rulings, excluding orders).
- A quarter of cases decided inless than 8 monthsfirst quartile
- Median time11 monthsagainst 15 months for all administrative courts of appeal
- A quarter of cases wait more than15 monthsthird quartile
- Decisions counted1,788out of 3,065 decisions in 2025
| Duration | Cour administrative d'appel de Nantes | Administrative courts of appeal |
|---|---|---|
| < 3 months | 7% | 4% |
| 3-6 months | 9% | 7% |
| 6-12 months | 38% | 26% |
| 1-2 years | 40% | 45% |
| 2-3 years | 4% | 14% |
| > 3 years | 1% | 4% |
See also time to judgment in all courts
Judgments and rulings only, excluding orders (summary proceedings), counted from the first application filed. Not computed below 200 decisions in the year.
Outcome of the cases
The outcome sums up what the decision does. On appeal, a dismissal leaves the contested judgment in place, whether the appeal came from the individual or from the public body: the dismissal rate alone does not say who wins the case. The chart sets the Cour administrative d'appel de Nantes beside all the administrative courts of appeal.
Among the 3,017 decisions of 2025 with a stated outcome, 73% are dismissals, 20% annul the contested act or grant the claim, and 5% are withdrawals or “no need to rule” decisions, which end the case without a ruling on the merits. For all administrative courts of appeal, these shares are 75%, 17% and 5%. Compared with 2024, the dismissal rate of the Cour administrative d'appel de Nantes is unchanged.
- Cour administrative d'appel de Nantes
- Administrative courts of appeal
- Dismissed
- Annulled or granted
- No need to rule
- Withdrawn
- Referred or transferred
- Other outcomes
| Outcome | Decisions 2025 | Share | Share: Administrative courts of appeal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dismissed | 2,192 | 73% | 75% |
| Annulled or granted | 591 | 20% | 17% |
| No need to rule | 30 | 1% | 2% |
| Withdrawn | 114 | 4% | 3% |
| Referred or transferred | 90 | 3% | 3% |
Decisions with a stated and classified outcome, excluding interim decisions (expert report, investigation).
Where the court stands
This section places the Cour administrative d'appel de Nantes among the administrative courts of appeal: its number of decisions compared with the median, the administrative tribunals of its jurisdiction and the court of cassation.
With 3,065 decisions in 2025, the Cour administrative d'appel de Nantes is above the median of the administrative courts of appeal, which is 2,790 decisions per court (9 administrative courts of appeal with published decisions). The jurisdiction of the Cour administrative d'appel de Nantes covers 3 tribunals: Caen, Nantes and Rennes. In 2025, these tribunals issued 24,932 decisions between them. The rulings of the court can be challenged in cassation before the Conseil d'État.
| Court | Decisions 2025 | Dismissal rate | Median time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tribunal administratif de Nantes | 16,301 | 60% | 15 months |
| Tribunal administratif de Rennes | 5,285 | 60% | 3 months |
| Tribunal administratif de Caen | 3,346 | 55% | 10 months |
Rate and time not computed below 200 decisions in the year.
See also Conseil d'État France
Understanding these figures
The role of an administrative court of appeal
The administrative court of appeal re-examines, on the facts and on the law, the judgments of the administrative tribunals of its jurisdiction when they are challenged, by the individual or by the public body. It can uphold the judgment, annul it or amend it. Its ruling can in turn be brought before the Conseil d'État in cassation, which reviews only the application of the law.
Rulings and orders
The decisions counted here are rulings and orders. A ruling settles the appeal after investigation, most often following a public hearing. An order is issued by a single judge, in urgent matters or to close an appeal without a hearing, for instance when it is clearly inadmissible or the appellant has withdrawn. Orders count in the volumes, but not in the time to judgment.
Reading the median time
Time is counted from the filing of the application to the ruling. The median splits the cases into two halves: one is decided faster, the other more slowly. It is preferred to the average, which a small number of very long cases is enough to inflate. The quartiles give the range: a quarter of the cases are decided before the first quartile, a quarter after the third. The calculation covers rulings, excluding orders.
Reading the dismissal rate on appeal
On appeal, a dismissal leaves the contested judgment in place, whether the appeal came from the individual or from the public body: the dismissal rate alone does not say who wins the case. “Annulled or granted” brings together, in particular, the rulings that annul or amend the judgment; withdrawals and “no need to rule” decisions end the case without a ruling on the merits.
The figures of this court
Before the Cour administrative d'appel de Nantes, immigration accounts for 51% of the decisions of 2025, against 51% for all administrative courts of appeal; planning and building permits accounts for 6% (4% for all administrative courts of appeal). The dismissal rate and the median time vary from one subject to another: the Cour administrative d'appel de Nantes and another court cannot be compared point by point without taking into account the cases brought before them. No statistic can predict the outcome of a particular case.
Frequently asked questions
How many decisions did the Cour administrative d'appel de Nantes issue in 2025?
The Cour administrative d'appel de Nantes issued 3,065 decisions in 2025, 15% fewer than in 2024, that is 11% of the decisions of all administrative courts of appeal. The most frequent subjects are immigration (1,578 decisions), planning and building permits (172 decisions) and tax (129 decisions).
What is the median time to judgment of the Cour administrative d'appel de Nantes?
In 2025, the median time from filing to decision at the Cour administrative d'appel de Nantes is 11 months: a quarter of the cases are decided in less than 8 months and a quarter after more than 15 months. For all administrative courts of appeal, the median time is 15 months.
What share of the decisions of the Cour administrative d'appel de Nantes are dismissals?
In 2025, 73% of the decisions of the Cour administrative d'appel de Nantes with a stated outcome were dismissals, against 75% for all administrative courts of appeal. The rate depends first on the subjects heard: see “Understanding these figures”.
Which administrative tribunals fall under the Cour administrative d'appel de Nantes?
The jurisdiction of the Cour administrative d'appel de Nantes covers the tribunals of Caen, Nantes and Rennes. Its rulings can be challenged in cassation before the Conseil d'État.