U.S. District Court Directory

The U.S. judicial system has been divided into 94 districts by Congress, with one U.S. District Court assigned to each of these. Each state has at least one district, but some have more, and may be named according to their geographical boundaries (i.e. the Northern District of California). The District of Columbia and Puerto Rico also are assigned to districts. These courts hear federal cases of both civil and criminal matters from within their districts, and even appeals from state-level courts.

Jury Trials

Many citizens are called to serve jury duty in district court cases. They may be asked to serve on a trial jury (a.k.a. petit jury) or a Grand Jury, which decides whether the prosecution has enough evidence to move forward with the case at trial. Each federal district will maintain information about jury service and the rules required to be followed during this process.

Bankruptcy Courts

In addition to the district courts, bankruptcy courts are dedicated to hearing and deciding bankruptcy cases within each district. Filing bankruptcy is a federal matter, meaning that the state does not have jurisdiction to decide such a case. 

Special Jurisdiction

In addition to the 94 district courts, there are special federal courts dedicated to specific cases brought forth from across the country. The Court of International Trade deals only with international trade and customs cases, and the U.S. Court of Federal Claims deals with claims against the federal government. Such cases may include unlawful seizure of property, monetary damages allegedly caused by the United States, and even disputes over federal contracts.

Article III of the Constitution

The powers granted to the federal district courts are defined and outlined by Article III of the U.S. Constitution, thus they may be referred to as “Article III tribunals.” This article allows certain cases to be decided by district courts under Section 2, and these typically involve applying the Constitution as a law, any laws enacted by Congress, and commerce among states and on the nation’s waterways.

Cases Heard by District Courts

Congress has determined that some cases may be heard by either a state or federal court. For example, if a suit arises between two citizens living in different states, this may be heard in a state court unless the potential monetary damages exceed $50,000; in this case, it would then become a federal matter.Other cases which may only be heard in federal courts include maritime issues and any suits filed against consuls. This being said, a state court decision on a case involving federal laws may be reviewed by the U.S. Courts of Appeals or Supreme Court.

Should any case in a district court need to be appealed, it would then move to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the corresponding circuit that the district is contained within. A few cases which call into question interpretation of Constitutional law may be appealed after being presented to these courts and heard in the U.S. Supreme Court.

District Court Judges

The district court judges are appointed by the President of the United States and affirmed by Congress. Magistrate judges (assistants to district court judges) and bankruptcy judges are not referred to as “Article III judges,” as they are not provided for under Article III of the Constitution.

In order to prevent influence from other branches of government or outside sources, the salary of a federal judge may never be diminished. Tenure lasts until the Article III judge retires, dies or is removed from office.

The number of judges appointed to any one district is always fluctuating, and largely dependant upon the corresponding population in that district. In 2009, there were a total of 866 Article III judges. The Supreme Court had nine, the Courts of Appeals had 179, and the district courts had a total of 678. This number of district court judges has tripled since 1950.

Interesting District Court Facts

Four U.S. District Courts—the District of New Mexico, Western District of Texas, Southern District of Texas and District of Arizona—all share a border with Mexico and hear 75% of the total criminal felony cases filed within the district court system, when combined with the Southern District of California.

By population, the Central District of California is the largest, and includes Los Angeles. Across the country, New York City is actually divided among the Southern District of New York and Eastern District of New York. In addition, the Southern District of New York and Central District of California each have 28 federal judges—the largest among all federal district courts.

Specific District Court Information:

Florida District Court

Kansas District Court

Louisiana District Court

Maine District Court

Maryland District Court

Massachusetts District Court

Michigan District Court

Minnesota District Court

Nevada District Court

New York District Court

North Carolina District Court

Oklahoma District Court

Pennsylvania District Court

Texas District Court

Utah District Court

Virginia District Court

Washington District Court