762
Opinion of the Court
reverse the judgment below," Brief in Response to Pet. for Cert. 1, stating:
"We cannot honestly claim any uncertain[t]y about petitioner Becker's intention to pursue an appeal once he filed his timely, though unsigned, notice of appeal in the district court. We never objected to the lack of a signature on his notice of appeal, and fully expected the court of appeals to address his appellate arguments on the merits." Id., at 5.
We granted certiorari, 531 U. S. 1069; 531 U. S. 1110 (2001), to assure the uniform interpretation of the governing Federal Rules, and now address the question whether Becker's failure to sign his timely filed notice of appeal requires the Court of Appeals to dismiss his appeal.1
II
In Mattingly v. Farmers State Bank, 153 F. 3d 336 (1998) (per curiam), the Sixth Circuit determined that a notice of appeal must be signed, and that a signature's omission cannot be cured by giving the appellant an opportunity to sign after the time to appeal has expired. For this determination, that court relied on the complementary operation of two Federal Rules: Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure (Appel-late Rule) 4(a)(1), which provides that "the notice of appeal required by Rule 3 [to commence an appeal] must be filed with the district clerk within 30 days after the judgment or order appealed from is entered"; 2 and Federal Rule of Civil
1 Without any party to defend the Sixth Circuit's position, we invited Stewart A. Baker to brief and argue this case, as amicus curiae, in support of the judgment below. 531 U. S. 1110 (2001). His able representation, and that of Jeffrey S. Sutton, whom we appointed to represent Becker, 531 U. S. 1123 (2001), permit us to decide this case satisfied that the relevant issues have been fully aired.
2 On motion filed no later than 30 days after expiration of the original appeal time, the appeal period may be extended upon a showing of "excusable neglect or good cause," but the extension "may [not] exceed 30
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