Role of the U.S. District Court

The federal court system includes 94 districts which each contain a district court. There is at least one district court in each U.S. state, though some contain more. These states may contain a southern, central, northern, or other directionally named district court. In addition, these districts also contain bankruptcy courts which oversee these types of cases. Since bankruptcy is a federal matter, any individual or business wishing to file bankruptcy must do so in the federal district system. Following is a discussion of the role and function of these federal district courts, and how they fit within the entire federal court system:

Role of the District Court System

The 94 federal judicial districts have been provided for in the Constitution, and boundaries determined by Congress. Within each district, these courts hear both civil and criminal matters, and may be decided by a jury panel composed of local citizens. There is also a district court in Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.

A federal district court is considered a trial court, which is the lowest level of federal courts. Your local district court will have original jurisdiction over federal cases in your area, and may hear appeals from state courts which call constitutional law into question.

Original Jurisdiction of a District Court

‘Original jurisdiction’ means that the district court is the first to hear all federal cases from its territory. Federal cases may include civil disputes which cross state lines and thus are neither in one state’s jurisdiction or the other, civil cases in which the U.S. is a party, criminal cases brought to court by the U.S., and those which bring into question the Constitution or federal laws and regulations.

However, concurrent jurisdiction is shared between state courts and district courts in many of these matters, and a party may choose to file their case in either court system. Typically, the defendant may still choose to move a case from a state court to the federal district court. A federal district court does exercise exclusive jurisdiction over intellectual property disputes and cases which involve federal crimes. These courts also have appellate jurisdiction over certain judgments or orders which originate from state courts.

District Court Judges

United States District Court Judges are federal judges who are appointed by the President and affirmed by the Senate. Each district has an assigned number of judges, which Congress determines and may change—normally based upon the district’s population and typical caseload. Except for the district court judges in Guam, the Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands, these judges are considered “Article III judges” because their appointment lasts for life and salary may never be reduced. These allowances are provided for under Article III of the Constitution. However, if a federal district court judge is convicted of a felony criminal offense, he or she will be removed from office via impeachment by the House of Representatives and a two-thirds vote to convict after a Senate trial. To date, only twelve federal judges have been impeached by the House, and seven have been convicted of a federal offense by the Senate prior to being removed.

There are also several magistrate judges who are regular employees of the courts and may be fired for any reason; these judges work underneath the appointed district judges, and hear many minor disputes and conduct routine tasks while the district judges manage caseloads and write opinions.

Appeals from a District Court

Within the federal court system, any case decided in a district court may be appealed to the corresponding U.S. Court of Appeals. Each of the 94 federal judicial districts is divided into 12 separate circuits, each of which is overseen by a Court of Appeals. If a case is appealed after this hearing, a request may be submitted for it to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Bankruptcy District Court

Bankruptcy courts are separate sections of the federal district courts, and deal only with bankruptcy filings. This is an example of original and exclusive jurisdiction, as bankruptcy is a federal matter.  Most districts require bankruptcy filers to first undergo credit counseling from an approved business or service before completing bankruptcy proceedings.

Each bankruptcy case is assigned to a United States Trustee, who is responsible for overseeing the bankruptcy process and help protect against fraud while enforcing the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. This is true except for the districts in Alabama and North Carolina, which employ a bankruptcy administrator for this purpose. A Bankruptcy Appellate Panel also exists in each federal judicial circuit, should any party wish to appeal the decisions and discharged or reaffirmed debts approved by the bankruptcy district court.