United States district court

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The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal judiciary. There are 94 judicial districts, including at least one district in each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Each district includes a United States bankruptcy court as a unit of the district court. The district courts are also the only federal courts where trials are held, and juries may be impaneled.

Jurisdiction

The United States district courts have jurisdiction to hear nearly all categories of federal cases, including both civil cases and criminal cases. They have original jurisdiction over cases involving federal statutes, the United States Constitution, and treaties. They also handle cases involving diversity jurisdiction, where the parties are from different states or countries and the amount in controversy exceeds $75,000.

Structure

Each district court has at least one United States district judge, appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate. District judges serve life terms under Article III of the Constitution. In addition to district judges, each district court has one or more United States magistrate judges, who are appointed to assist district judges in their duties.

Appeals

Decisions of the United States district courts can be appealed to the United States courts of appeals, which are divided into 13 circuits. The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has nationwide jurisdiction over certain types of cases, such as those involving patent laws.

Related Pages

• United States federal judiciary
• United States courts of appeals
• United States Supreme Court
• United States bankruptcy court
• Federal judge
• Magistrate judge
• Article III court
• Article I court