List of United States district and territorial courts
There are 94 active United States district and territorial courts .[ 1] states has between one and four district courts, and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico each have a district court.
The insular areas of Guam , the Northern Mariana Islands , and the United States Virgin Islands each have one territorial court; these courts are called "district courts" and exercise the same jurisdiction as district courts,[ 2] [ 3] Article IV courts , with judges who serve ten-year terms rather than the lifetime tenure of judges of Article III courts , such as the district court judges.[ 3] American Samoa does not have a district court or a federal territorial court, and so federal matters there are sent to either the District of Columbia or Hawaii .[ 4]
Definition
Map of the boundaries of the 94 United States District Courts The district courts were established by Congress under Article III of the United States Constitution . The courts hear civil and criminal cases, and each is paired with a bankruptcy court .[ 2] courts of appeals , organized geographically. The number of district courts in a court of appeals' circuit varies between one and thirteen, depending on the number of states in the region and the number of districts in each state.
The formal naming convention for the district courts is "United States District Court for" followed by the district name. Each district court has one or more meeting places at which it holds hearings and conducts business. Many federal courthouses are named after notable judges, such as the Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse in New York City or the Hugo L. Black United States Courthouse in Birmingham . The largest courthouse is the Thomas F. Eagleton United States Courthouse , which serves the Eastern District of Missouri .[ 5]
The largest courts by number of judges are the Central District of California and the Southern District of New York , each with 28 judgeships. The smallest are the District for the Northern Mariana Islands and the District of Guam , with one judgeship each.
Active courts
Key
Citation
The abbreviation used to refer to court decisions.
Established
The date the district court was established as a court or the date it was subdivided from a larger district.
Judges
The number of judgeships authorized for the district.
Meeting places
The number of locations at which the court hears cases.
Defunct courts
District of the Canal Zone Courthouse in Panama City, Panama Note: Defunct courts do not include courts consisting of an entire state that were later subdivided.
Subdivided courts
Name
Citation
Established
Subdivided
District of Alabama
D. Ala.
April 21, 1820
March 10, 1824
District of Arkansas
D. Ark.
June 15, 1836
March 3, 1851
District of California
D. Cal.
July 27, 1866[ 6]
August 5, 1886
District of Florida
D. Fla.
March 3, 1845
February 23, 1847
District of Georgia
D. Ga.
September 24, 1789
August 11, 1848
District of Illinois
D. Ill.
March 3, 1819
February 13, 1855
District of Indiana
D. Ind.
March 3, 1817
April 21, 1928
District of Iowa
D. Iowa
March 3, 1845
July 20, 1882
District of Kentucky
D. Ky.
September 24, 1789[ 7]
February 13, 1801
District of Louisiana
D. La.
April 8, 1812
March 3, 1823
District of Michigan
D. Mich.
July 1, 1836
February 24, 1863
District of Mississippi
D. Miss.
April 3, 1818
June 18, 1838
District of Missouri
D. Mo.
March 16, 1822
March 3, 1857
District of New York
D.N.Y.
September 24, 1789
April 9, 1814
District of North Carolina
D.N.C.
June 4, 1790
June 9, 1794
District of Ohio
D. Ohio
February 19, 1803
February 10, 1855
District of Pennsylvania
D. Pa.
September 24, 1789
April 20, 1818
District of Tennessee
D. Tenn.
January 31, 1797[ 8]
February 13, 1801
District of Texas
D. Tex.
December 29, 1845
February 21, 1857
District of Virginia
D. Va.
September 24, 1789
February 13, 1801
District of Washington
D. Wash.
April 5, 1890
March 2, 1905
District of West Virginia
D.W.Va.
June 11, 1864
January 22, 1901
District of Wisconsin
D. Wis.
May 29, 1848
June 30, 1870
See also
References
General Specific
^ "United States District Courts" . Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Archived from the original on 2008-12-05. Retrieved 2009-06-15 .^ a b Article III Judges Division (2001-08-01). "An Introduction for Judges and Judicial Administrators in Other Countries" (PDF) . The Federal Court System in the United States . Administrative Office of the United States Courts. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-05-13. Retrieved 2009-06-21 . ^ a b "Territorial Courts" . History of the Federal Judiciary . Federal Judicial Center . Archived from the original on May 14, 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-21 .^ https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-08-1124T GAO (U.S. Government Accountability Office. AMERICAN SAMOA: Issues Associated with Some Federal Court Options. September 18, 2008. Retrieved September 7, 2019.^ "Thomas F. Eagleton Courthouse" . St. Louis - Eastern Division. Archived from the original on 2009-05-12. Retrieved 2009-06-21 .^ California was originally established with two district courts on September 28, 1850; these districts were merged into a single District of California on July 27, 1866.
^ The District of Kentucky was abolished on February 13, 1801 by the Judiciary Act of 1801 , 2 Stat. 89, and was restored with the repeal of this Act on March 8, 1802, 2 Stat. 132. U.S. District Courts of Kentucky, Legislative history , Federal Judicial Center
^ The District of Tennessee was abolished on February 13, 1801 by the Judiciary Act of 1801 , 2 Stat. 89, and was restored with the repeal of this Act on March 8, 1802, 2 Stat. 132. U.S. District Courts of Tennessee, Legislative history , Federal Judicial Center
External links
Courts of appeals District courts
Alabama (M , N , S )
Alaska Arizona Arkansas (E , W )
California (C , E , N , S )
Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida (M , N , S )
Georgia (M , N , S )
Hawaii Idaho Illinois (C , N , S )
Indiana (N , S )
Iowa (N , S )
Kansas Kentucky (E , W )
Louisiana (E , M , W )
Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan (E , W )
Minnesota Mississippi (N , S )
Missouri (E , W )
Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York (E , N , S , W )
North Carolina (E , M , W )
North Dakota Ohio (N , S )
Oklahoma (E , N , W )
Oregon Pennsylvania (E , M , W )
Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee (E , M , W )
Texas (E , N , S , W )
Utah Vermont Virginia (E , W )
Washington (E , W )
West Virginia (N , S )
Wisconsin (E , W )
Wyoming Specialty courts Territorial courts Extinct courts Note
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