United States District Court

U.S. Federal Courts

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The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal courts. There are 94 such courts. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of both law and equity.

There is a United States bankruptcy court and a number of bankruptcy judges associated with each United States district court. Each federal judicial district has at least one courthouse, and most districts have more than one.

There is at least one judicial district for each state, and one each for Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. District courts in three insular areas—the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands—exercise the same jurisdiction as U.S. district courts. Despite their name, these courts are technically not District Courts of the United States. Judges on these territorial courts do not enjoy the protections of Article III of the Constitution, and serve terms of 10 years rather than for life.

## District courts and associated circuit courts[edit]

# 1st Circuit[edit]

* United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit

* District of Maine
* District of Massachusetts
* District of New Hampshire
* District of Puerto Rico
* District of Rhode Island

# 2nd Circuit[edit]

* United States Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit

* District of Connecticut
* Eastern District of New York
* Northern District of New York
* Southern District of New York
* Western District of New York
* District of Vermont

# 3rd Circuit[edit]

* United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit

* District of Delaware
* District of New Jersey
* Eastern District of Pennsylvania
* Middle District of Pennsylvania
* Western District of Pennsylvania

# 4th Circuit[edit]

* United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit

* District of Maryland
* Eastern District of North Carolina
* Middle District of North Carolina
* Western District of North Carolina
* District of South Carolina
* Eastern District of Virginia
* Western District of Virginia
* Northern District of West Virginia
* Southern District of West Virginia

# 5th Circuit[edit]

* United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit

* Eastern District of Louisiana
* Middle District of Louisiana
* Western District of Louisiana
* Northern District of Mississippi
* Southern District of Mississippi
* Eastern District of Texas
* Northern District of Texas
* Southern District of Texas
* Western District of Texas

# 6th Circuit[edit]

* United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit

* Eastern District of Kentucky
* Western District of Kentucky
* Eastern District of Michigan
* Western District of Michigan
* Northern District of Ohio
* Southern District of Ohio
* Eastern District of Tennessee
* Middle District of Tennessee
* Western District of Tennessee

# 7th Circuit[edit]

* United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit

* Central District of Illinois
* Northern District of Illinois
* Southern District of Illinois
* Northern District of Indiana
* Southern District of Indiana
* Eastern District of Wisconsin
* Western District of Wisconsin

# 8th Circuit[edit]

* United States Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit

* Eastern District of Arkansas
* Western District of Arkansas
* Northern District of Iowa
* Southern District of Iowa
* District of Minnesota
* Eastern District of Missouri
* Western District of Missouri
* District of Nebraska
* District of North Dakota
* District of South Dakota

# 9th Circuit[edit]

* United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

* District of Alaska
* District of Arizona
* Central District of California
* Eastern District of California
* Northern District of California
* Southern District of California
* District of Hawaii
* District of Idaho
* District of Montana
* District of Nevada
* District of Oregon
* Eastern District of Washington
* Western District of Washington

# 10th Circuit[edit]

* United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit

* District of Colorado
* District of Kansas
* District of New Mexico
* Eastern District of Oklahoma
* Northern District of Oklahoma
* Western District of Oklahoma
* District of Utah
* District of Wyoming

# 11th Circuit[edit]

* United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit

* Middle District of Alabama
* Northern District of Alabama
* Southern District of Alabama
* Middle District of Florida
* Northern District of Florida
* Southern District of Florida
* Middle District of Georgia
* Northern District of Georgia
* Southern District of Georgia

# D.C. Circuit[edit]

* United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit

* United States District Court for the District of Columbia

# By State[edit]

Alabama

* Middle District of Alabama
* Northern District of Alabama
* Southern District of Alabama

Alaska

* District of Alaska

Arizona

* District of Arizona

Arkansas

* Eastern District of Arkansas
* Western District of Arkansas

California

* Eastern District of California
* Central District of California
* Northern District of California
* Southern District of California

Colorado

* District of Colorado

District of Columbia

* United States District Court for the District of Columbia

Connecticut

* District of Connecticut

Delaware

* District of Delaware

Florida

* Middle District of Florida
* Northern District of Florida
* Southern District of Florida

Georgia

* Middle District of Georgia
* Northern District of Georgia
* Southern District of Georgia

Hawaii

* District of Hawaii

Idaho

* District of Idaho

Illinois

* Central District of Illinois
* Northern District of Illinois
* Southern District of Illinois

Indiana

* Northern District of Indiana
* Southern District of Indiana

Iowa

* Northern District of Iowa
* Southern District of Iowa

Kansas

* District of Kansas

Kentucky

* Eastern District of Kentucky
* Western District of Kentucky

Louisiana

* Eastern District of Louisiana
* Middle District of Louisiana
* Western District of Louisiana

Maine

* District of Maine

Maryland

* District of Maryland

Massachusetts

* District of Massachusetts

Michigan

* Eastern District of Michigan
* Western District of Michigan

Minnesota

* District of Minnesota

Mississippi

* Northern District of Mississippi
* Southern District of Mississippi

Missouri

* Eastern District of Missouri
* Western District of Missouri

Montana

* District of Montana

Nebraska

* District of Nebraska

Nevada

* District of Nevada

New Hampshire

* District of New Hampshire

New Jersey

* District of New Jersey

New Mexico

* District of New Mexico

New York

* Eastern District of New York
* Northern District of New York
* Southern District of New York
* Western District of New York

North Carolina

* Eastern District of North Carolina
* Middle District of North Carolina
* Western District of North Carolina

North Dakota

* District of North Dakota

Ohio

* Northern District of Ohio
* Southern District of Ohio

Oklahoma

* Eastern District of Oklahoma
* Northern District of Oklahoma
* Western District of Oklahoma

Oregon

* District of Oregon

Pennsylvania

* Eastern District of Pennsylvania
* Middle District of Pennsylvania
* Western District of Pennsylvania

Puerto Rico

* District of Puerto Rico

Rhode Island

* District of Rhode Island

South Carolina

* District of South Carolina

South Dakota

* District of South Dakota

Tennessee

* Eastern District of Tennessee
* Middle District of Tennessee
* Western District of Tennessee

Texas

* Eastern District of Texas
* Northern District of Texas
* Southern District of Texas
* Western District of Texas

Utah

* District of Utah

Vermont

* District of Vermont

Virginia

* Eastern District of Virginia
* Western District of Virginia

Washington

* Eastern District of Washington
* Western District of Washington

West Virginia

* Northern District of West Virginia
* Southern District of West Virginia

Wisconsin

* Eastern District of Wisconsin
* Western District of Wisconsin

Wyoming

* District of Wyoming

## District court judges[edit]

There are 677 U.S. District Court judgeships.[1][2]

The number of federal district judge positions is set by the U.S. Congress in Title 28 of the U.S. Code, Section 133, which authorizes a set number of judge positions, or judgeships, making changes and adjustments in these numbers from time to time.

In order to relieve the pressure of trying the hundreds of thousands of cases brought before the federal district courts each year, many trials are tried by juries, along with a presiding judge.[3]

### Appointments by president[edit]

The chart below shows the number of district court judges confirmed by the U.S. Senate through February 1 of the second year of presidents' second term in office. At this point in the term, President Obama had the most district court appointments with 32.

### Judges by district[edit]

See also: Judicial vacancies in federal courts

The table below displays the number of judges in each district and indicates how many were appointed by presidents from each major political party. It also includes the number of vacancies in a district and how many pending nominations for that district are before the United States Senate. The table can be sorted by clicking the column headers above the line, and you can navigate through the pages by clicking the arrows at the top of the table. It is updated every Monday.

### Judicial selection[edit]

The district courts are served by Article III federal judges who are appointed for life during "good behavior." They are usually first recommended by senators (or members of the House, occasionally). The President of the United States makes the appointments, which must then be confirmed by the U.S. Senate in accordance with Article III of the United States Constitution.[2]

Step  | A Candidacy Proceeds  | A Candidacy Halts

|
|

1\. Recommendation made by Congress Member to the President  | President Nominates to Senate Judiciary Committee | President Declines Nomination
2\. Senate Judiciary Committee interviews Candidate  | Sends candidate to Senate for confirmation  | Returns candidate to President, who may re-nominate to Committee
3\. Senate votes on candidate confirmation  | Candidate becomes federal judge  | Candidate does not receive judgeship

### Magistrate judges[edit]

The district courts are also served by magistrate judges. Congress created the judicial office of federal magistrate in 1968. In 1990, the position title was changed to magistrate judge. The chief judge of each district appoints one or more magistrate judges, who discharge many of the ancillary duties of district judges so judges can handle more trials. There are both full-time and part-time magistrate judge positions, and these positions are assigned to the district courts according to caseload criteria (subject to funding by Congress). A full-time magistrate judge serves a term of eight years; a part-time magistrate judge's term of office is four years.[4]

## Caseloads[edit]

The table below shows the number of judgeships and the number of weighted filings per judgeship from September 30, 2017, to September 30, 2019.[5][6] Weighted filings are a metric used by the federal judiciary that accounts for the different amounts of time judges require to resolve types of civil and criminal cases.[7]

There was an average of 513 weighted filings per judgeship across the country's 673 district court judgeships in 2018. In 2019, there was an average of 492 weighted filings per judgeship 2019. Three district courts had more than 1,000 weighted filings per judgeship in both years: Eastern District of Louisiana, District of New Jersey, and Southern District of Indiana.

Weighted filings per judgeship, U.S. District Courts (2018-2019)

Court  | Judgeships  | Weighted filings (2018)  | Weighted filings (2019)  | Circuit
District of Columbia | 15 | 269 | 293 | D.C.
District of Maine | 3 | 251 | 303 | First
District of Massachusetts | 13 | 312 | 303 | First
District of New Hampshire | 3 | 416 | 493 | First
District of Puerto Rico | 7 | 371 | 354 | First
District of Rhode Island | 3 | 308 | 275 | First
District of Connecticut | 8 | 353 | 359 | Second
Eastern District of New York | 15 | 539 | 552 | Second
Northern District of New York | 5 | 326 | 383 | Second
Southern District of New York | 28 | 542 | 590 | Second
Western District of New York | 4 | 562 | 654 | Second
District of Vermont | 2 | 207 | 284 | Second
District of Delaware | 4 | 898 | 1,127 | Third
District of New Jersey | 17 | 1,012 | 1,044 | Third
Eastern District of Pennsylvania | 22 | 300 | 317 | Third
Middle District of Pennsylvania | 6 | 483 | 424 | Third
Western District of Pennsylvania | 10 | 304 | 314 | Third
District of Maryland | 10 | 487 | 466 | Fourth
Eastern District of North Carolina | 4 | 626 | 715 | Fourth
Middle District of North Carolina | 4 | 404 | 449 | Fourth
Western District of North Carolina | 5 | 396 | 361 | Fourth
District of South Carolina | 10 | 439 | 428 | Fourth
Eastern District of Virginia | 11 | 415 | 405 | Fourth
Western District of Virginia | 4 | 345 | 401 | Fourth
Northern District of West Virginia | 3 | 394 | 415 | Fourth
Southern District of West Virginia | 5 | 396 | 266 | Fourth
Eastern District of Louisiana | 12 | 1,219 | 1,200 | Fifth
Middle District of Louisiana | 3 | 870 | 381 | Fifth
Western District of Louisiana | 7 | 299 | 281 | Fifth
Northern District of Mississippi | 3 | 333 | 313 | Fifth
Southern District of Mississippi | 6 | 392 | 459 | Fifth
Eastern District of Texas | 8 | 579 | 573 | Fifth
Northern District of Texas | 12 | 593 | 581 | Fifth
Southern District of Texas | 19 | 585 | 703 | Fifth
Western District of Texas | 13 | 745 | 839 | Fifth
Eastern District of Kentucky | 5.5 | 331 | 361 | Sixth
Western District of Kentucky | 4.5 | 374 | 397 | Sixth
Eastern District of Michigan | 15 | 331 | 324 | Sixth
Western District of Michigan | 4 | 517 | 432 | Sixth
Northern District of Ohio | 11 | 385 | 441 | Sixth
Southern District of Ohio | 8 | 427 | 745 | Sixth
Eastern District of Tennessee | 5 | 443 | 524 | Sixth
Middle District of Tennessee | 4 | 484 | 483 | Sixth
Western District of Tennessee | 5 | 407 | 394 | Sixth
Central District of Illinois | 4 | 419 | 360 | Seventh
Northern District of Illinois | 22 | 452 | 432 | Seventh
Southern District of Illinois | 4 | 551 | 417 | Seventh
Northern District of Indiana | 5 | 464 | 475 | Seventh
Southern District of Indiana | 5 | 1,009 | 1,148 | Seventh
Eastern District of Wisconsin | 5 | 431 | 398 | Seventh
Western District of Wisconsin | 2 | 548 | 593 | Seventh
Eastern District of Arkansas | 5 | 480 | 501 | Eighth
Western District of Arkansas | 3 | 355 | 376 | Eighth
Northern District of Iowa | 2 | 482 | 480 | Eighth
Southern District of Iowa | 3 | 408 | 431 | Eighth
District of Minnesota | 7 | 512 | 479 | Eighth
Eastern District of Missouri | 8 | 486 | 637 | Eighth
Western District of Missouri | 6 | 474 | 497 | Eighth
District of Nebraska | 3 | 552 | 479 | Eighth
District of North Dakota | 2 | 370 | 396 | Eighth
District of South Dakota | 3 | 387 | 421 | Eighth
District of Alaska | 3 | 239 | 229 | Ninth
District of Arizona | 13 | 685 | 800 | Ninth
Central District of California | 28 | 627 | 681 | Ninth
Eastern District of California | 6 | 855 | 730 | Ninth
Northern District of California | 14 | 622 | 599 | Ninth
Southern District of California | 13 | 640 | 634 | Ninth
District of Hawaii | 4 | 203 | 240 | Ninth
District of Idaho | 2 | 550 | 538 | Ninth
District of Montana | 3 | 410 | 380 | Ninth
District of Nevada | 7 | 496 | 467 | Ninth
District of Oregon | 6 | 434 | 449 | Ninth
Eastern District of Washington | 4 | 306 | 298 | Ninth
Western District of Washington | 7 | 479 | 462 | Ninth
District of Colorado | 7 | 572 | 648 | Tenth
District of Kansas | 6 | 345 | 346 | Tenth
District of New Mexico | 7 | 534 | 573 | Tenth
Eastern District of Oklahoma | 3.5 | 276 | 357 | Tenth
Northern District of Oklahoma | 1.5 | 377 | 325 | Tenth
Western District of Oklahoma | 6 | 291 | 284 | Tenth
District of Utah | 5 | 482 | 465 | Tenth
District of Wyoming | 3 | 169 | 178 | Tenth
Middle District of Alabama | 3 | 458 | 365 | Eleventh
Northern District of Alabama | 8 | 347 | 378 | Eleventh
Southern District of Alabama | 3 | 361 | 450 | Eleventh
Middle District of Florida | 15 | 628 | 662 | Eleventh
Northern District of Florida | 4 | 770 | 950 | Eleventh
Southern District of Florida | 18 | 721 | 758 | Eleventh
Middle District of Georgia | 4 | 430 | 412 | Eleventh
Northern District of Georgia | 11 | 633 | 626 | Eleventh
Southern District of Georgia | 3 | 456 | 581 | Eleventh
Average  | 513  | 492  | \-

The chart below details information on total federal court caseloads from 2007 to 2018. The statistics are compiled through September for that year.

Caseload statistics, 2007-2018

Year  | Cases filed  | Cases terminated  | Remaining cases  | Median time (months) - Criminal  | Median time (months) - Civil  | Three-year civil cases  | Vacant judgeship months  | Trials completed per judgeship
2018 | 391,345 | 375,480 | 465,787 | 7 | 9.2 | 73938 | 1541.3 | 16
2017 | 365,084 | 384,840 | 425,162 | 7.6 | 9.9 | 57155 | 1266.8 | 16
2016 | 387,687 | 365,842 | 446,051 | 7.5 | 9.2 | 53162 | 762.1 | 17
2015 | 374,822 | 369,720 | 426,042 | 7.6 | 8.8 | 34377 | 550.6 | 17
2014 | 392,241 | 359,835 | 424,194 | 7.5 | 8.3 | 30407 | 768.1 | 18
2013 | 391,652 | 362,228 | 395,184 | 7.3 | 8.5 | 27087 | 784.1 | 19
2012 | 386,664 | 382,837 | 370,567 | 7.2 | 7.8 | 30309 | 768 | 20
2011 | 402,885 | 414,739 | 366,098 | 7 | 7.3 | 40439 | 947.1 | 20
2010 | 394,345 | 419,178 | 373,110 | 6.9 | 7.6 | 45010 | 964.1 | 20
2009 | 384,902 | 369,801 | 401,448 | 7 | 8.9 | 35282 | 602.5 | 20
2008 | 371,155 | 337,761 | 385,672 | 7.1 | 8.1 | 21820 | 397.9 | 20
2007 | 356,311 | 337,435 | 327,882 | 7.5 | 8.6 | 17446 | 424.6 | 20

## History[edit]

For information about when specific federal courts were formed, see United States court reorganization legislation.

Key Dates

1789 \- The Judiciary Act of 1789. Congress divided the nation into 13 judicial districts, with each of these U.S. District Courts serving as the federal trial court for admiralty, maritime and some minor civil and criminal cases.
1790s \- Some states began to be divided into multiple judicial districts.
1889 \- A circuit court was established for every judicial district.
1891 \- Congress established a uniform salary for district court judges.
1911 \- The "Judicial Code of 1911" abolished the U.S. circuit courts, making the U.S. district courts the only general jurisdiction trial courts in the federal judicial system.[8]
1968 \- The judicial office of the federal magistrate was created.[4]

## See also[edit]

* United States court of appeals
* Federal Court Vacancy Warning System

## External links[edit]

* Official site of the United States Courts
* Federal Court Concepts, Georgia Tech
* United States District Court for the District of New Hampshire Official Website

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ US Courts, "Federal Judgeships," accessed May 10, 2021 (archived)
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 U.S. Courts, "United States District Court Federal Judiciary Frequently Asked Questions," accessed May 10, 2021 (archived)
3. ↑ United States District Courts, "District Courts," accessed May 10, 2021
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 The 'Lectric Law Library, "Understanding the U.S. federal courts"
5. ↑ US Courts, "Table X-1A—Other Judicial Business (September 30, 2018)," accessed July 24, 2019
6. ↑ US Courts, "Table X-1A—Other Judicial Business (September 30, 2019)," accessed August 28, 2020
7. ↑ US Courts, "Explanation of Selected Terms," accessed July 25, 2019
8. ↑ Federal Judicial Center: The U.S. District Courts and the Federal Judiciary