Judicial Branch

History of the federal courts

The only court created by Article III of the United States Constitution was the Supreme Court of the United States. "Inferior courts," per Article III, were created by the United States Congress, starting with the Judiciary Act of 1789. For an overview of how the structure and jurisdiction of the federal courts have changed since inception, see United States court reorganization legislation.

The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the nation and leads the judicial branch of the federal government.
The United States Courts of Appeals are the intermediate appellate courts of the nation. There are 13 of these courts.
The United States District Courts are the trial courts of the federal courts. This level of court is composed of 94 different courts.
The United States Bankruptcy Courts handle matters of bankruptcy across the nation. Courts correspond with the jurisdiction of the United States District Courts.
There are seven courts of subject-matter jurisdiction in the federal court system. For a summary of these courts, see Federal subject-matter jurisdiction courts.