| U.s. District Courts |
Article Index for U.s |
Articles about United States District Court |
Website Links For United States |
Information AboutU.s. District Courts |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT | |
| united states district courts | |
| SHOPPER'S DELIGHT | |
|
The United States district courts are the general Trial Court s of the United States Federal Court System . 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 in each United States district court. There is at least one courthouse in each Federal Judicial District , and some large districts have more than one. The formal name of a district court is, for example, '' United States District Court For The Southern District Of New York ''. There is at least one judicial district for each State , the District Of Columbia , and Puerto Rico . Insular Area s other than Puerto Rico (and Palmyra Island , which is included in the District of Hawaii ) are not federal judicial districts and therefore do not have a United States District Court, although several of these areas have a court called the “district court” that operates similarly to a United States District Court. OTHER FEDERAL TRIAL COURTS There are other federal trial courts that have nationwide Jurisdiction over certain types of cases, but the district court also has Concurrent Jurisdiction over many of those cases, and the district court is the only one with jurisdiction over criminal cases and the only one where a trial can be to a jury instead of a judge. The Court Of International Trade addresses cases involving international trade and customs issues. The United States Court Of Federal Claims has Exclusive Jurisdiction over most claims for money damages against the United States, including disputes over federal contracts, unlawful Taking s of private property by the federal government, and suits for injury on federal property or by a federal employee. The United States Tax Court has jurisdiction over contested assessments of taxes. UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE A judge of a United States District Court is officially titled a “United States District Judge”. Other federal judges, including circuit judges and Supreme Court justices, can also sit in a district court upon assignment by the chief judge of the circuit or by the Chief Justice Of The United States . The number of judges in each District Court (and the structure of the judicial system generally) is set by Congress . The President appoints all judges (subject to the approval of the Senate ), so the nominees often belong to the same Political Party as the President, or share at least some of his convictions. In states represented by a senator of the president's party, the senator (or the more senior of them if both senators are of the president's party) has substantial input into the nominating process, and through a tradition known as “senatorial courtesy”, can exercise an unofficial veto over a nominee obnoxious to the senator. As Article III Judges , federal district judges are appointed for life, and can be removed involuntarily only when they violate the standard of “good behavior”. The sole method of involuntary removal of a judge is through Impeachment by the United States House of Representatives followed by a trial in the United States Senate, which requires a two-thirds vote to convict. Otherwise, a judge, even if he is convicted of a Felony criminal offense by a jury, is entitled to hold office until he (or she) dies or retires. In the history of the United States, only twelve judges have been impeached by the House, and only seven have been removed following conviction in the Senate. (For a table that includes the twelve impeached judges, see Impeachment In The United States .) A judge who has reached the age of 65 (or has become disabled) may retire or elect to go on “ Senior Status ” and keep working. Such “senior” judges are not counted in the quota of active judges for the district and do only whatever work they are assigned by the chief judge of the district, but they keep their offices (called “chambers”) and staff, and many of them work full-time. A federal judge is addressed in writing as “The Honorable Jane Doe” or “Hon. Jane Doe” and in speech as “Judge” or “Judge Doe” or, when presiding in court, “Your Honor”. District judges usually concentrate on managing their court's overall caseload, supervising trials, and writing opinions in response to important motions like the motion for Summary Judgment . Since the 1960s , routine tasks like resolving discovery disputes have been offloaded to Magistrate Judges . Federal magistrate judges are not Article III judges with guaranteed lifetime employment. Rather, they are hired and supervised by district judges like any other court employee, and they can be fired at any time for any rational reason (for example, if Congress cuts the judiciary's budget). Occasionally a capable magistrate judge will be nominated by the President to become a district judge, but magistrate judge is just one of the possible “stepping stones” to such an appointment. JURISDICTION To file a civil case (that is, “sue someone”) in federal district court, a person must have a reason why a federal court, instead of a state court, should adjudicate the dispute. By law, the bases for Federal Jurisdiction (the power to hear and decide a case) are:
Thus, not every legal dispute can be litigated in federal court, hence the expression “make a federal case out of it.” Federal district courts often decide claims based on state law. Sometimes this is because only state law claims were pleaded and the only basis for federal jurisdiction is diversity of citizenship or alienage. Other times, even though there is a federal question in the case, the plaintiff has also pleaded state law claims as well, which the federal courts have the discretion to hear through Supplemental Jurisdiction . Either way, the United States Supreme Court has ruled that in such situations, the district courts must resolve state law claims by applying the law of the state in which they sit. They cannot make up and apply general federal common law (which was the old rule). Although in matters of civil law there are often parallel federal and state laws, providing an aggrieved party with a choice of venue, there are some matters which may ''only'' be adjudicated in the Federal courts; these include most from such suits under the Eleventh Amendment . Although a state may choose to waive its immunity in such a case and allow it to proceed to trial, if it does not do so, the plaintiff has no recourse. This doctrine was reaffirmed in a United States Supreme Court case, '' Florida Prepaid Postsecondary Education Expense Board V. College Savings Bank '', 527 U.S. 627 ( 1999 ). District courts also have limited jurisdiction as an Appellate Court , reviewing decisions of the Trademark Trial And Appeals Board and of United States Bankruptcy Court s. ATTORNEYS In order to represent a party in a case in a district court, a person must be an Attorney At Law and generally must be admitted to the bar of that particular court. The United States does not have a separate Bar Examination for federal practice (except with respect to Patent Law ). Admission To The Bar of a district court is generally granted as a matter of course to any attorney who is admitted to practice law in the state where the district court sits. The attorney submits his application with a fee and takes the oath of admission. Local practice varies as to whether the oath is given in writing or in open court before a judge of the district. APPEALS A formal ruling by a district court in either a civil or a criminal case can be appealed to the United States Court Of Appeals in the Federal Judicial Circuit in which the district court is located, except that some district court rulings involving patents and claims against the United States must be appealed to the United States Court Of Appeals For The Federal Circuit . BUSIEST DISTRICT COURTS Not surprisingly, the busiest and largest district courts are the ones that serve the three largest cities in the United States: New York , Los Angeles , and Chicago . Respectively, they are the district courts for the Southern District Of New York , the Central District Of California , and the Northern District Of Illinois . Together, these three courts have the most judges, personnel, and facilities, and publish a large portion of the opinions reported in the Federal Supplement . The Central District of California is the largest federal district by population, since it encompasses practically all of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area , while the City of New York is divided between the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, and many New York suburbs are covered by district courts in New Jersey and Connecticut . LIST OF UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURTS # United States District Court For The Middle District Of Alabama (M.D.Ala.) # United States District Court For The Northern District Of Alabama (N.D.Ala.) # United States District Court For The Southern District Of Alabama (S.D.Ala..) # United States District Court For The District Of Alaska (D.Aka.) # United States District Court For The District Of Arizona (D.Ariz.) # United States District Court For The Eastern District Of Arkansas (E.D.Ark.) # United States District Court For The Western District Of Arkansas (W.D.Ark.) # United States District Court For The Central District Of California (C.D.Cal.) # United States District Court For The Eastern District Of California (E.D.Cal.) # United States District Court For The Northern District Of California (N.D.Cal.) # United States District Court For The Southern District Of California (S.D.Cal.) # United States District Court For The District Of Colorado (D.Col.) # United States District Court For The District Of Connecticut (D.Conn.) # United States District Court For The District Of Delaware (D.Del.) # United States District Court For The District Of Columbia (D.D.C.) # United States District Court For The Middle District Of Florida (M.D.Fla.) # United States District Court For The Northern District Of Florida (N.D.Fla.) # United States District Court For The Southern District Of Florida (S.D.Fla.) # United States District Court For The Middle District Of Georgia (M.D.Geo.) # United States District Court For The Northern District Of Georgia (N.D.Geo.) # United States District Court For The Southern District Of Georgia (S.D.Geo.) # United States District Court For The District Of Hawaii (D.Haw.) # United States District Court For The District Of Idaho (D.Ida.) # United States District Court For The Central District Of Illinois (C.D.Ill.) # United States District Court For The Northern District Of Illinois (N.D.Ill.) # United States District Court For The Southern District Of Illinois (S.D.Ill.) # United States District Court For The Northern District Of Indiana (N.D.Ind.) # United States District Court For The Southern District Of Indiana (S.D.Ind.) # United States District Court For The Northern District Of Iowa (N.D.Iowa) # United States District Court For The Southern District Of Iowa (S.D.Iowa) # United States District Court For The District Of Kansas (D.Kan.) # United States District Court For The Eastern District Of Kentucky (E.D.Ky.) # United States District Court For The Western District Of Kentucky (W.D..) # United States District Court For The Eastern District Of Louisiana (E.D.La.) # United States District Court For The Middle District Of Louisiana (M.D.La.) # United States District Court For The Western District Of Louisiana (W.D.La.) # United States District Court For The District Of Maine (D.Maine) # United States District Court For The District Of Maryland (D.Md.) # United States District Court For The District Of Massachusetts (D.Mass.) # United States District Court For The Eastern District Of Michigan (E.D.Mich.) # United States District Court For The Western District Of Michigan (W.D.Mich.) # United States District Court For The District Of Minnesota (D.Minn.) # United States District Court For The Northern District Of Mississippi (N.D.Miss.) # United States District Court For The Southern District Of Mississippi (S.D.Miss.) # United States District Court For The Eastern District Of Missouri (E.D.Mo.) # United States District Court For The Western District Of Missouri (W.D.Mo.) # United States District Court For The District Of Montana (D.Mont.) # United States District Court For The District Of Nebraska (D.Neb.) # United States District Court For The District Of Nevada (D.Nev.) # United States District Court For The District Of New Hampshire (D.N.H.) # United States District Court For The District Of New Jersey (D.N.J.) # United States District Court For The District Of New Mexico (D.N.M.) # United States District Court For The Eastern District Of New York (E.D.N.Y.) # United States District Court For The Northern District Of New York (N.D.N.Y.) # United States District Court For The Southern District Of New York (S.D.N.Y.) # United States District Court For The Western District Of New York (W.D.N.Y.) # United States District Court For The Eastern District Of North Carolina (E.D.N.C.) # United States District Court For The Middle District Of North Carolina (M.D.N.C.) # United States District Court For The Western District Of North Carolina (W.D.N.C.) # United States District Court For The District Of North Dakota (D.N.D.) # United States District Court For The Northern District Of Ohio (D.Ohio) # United States District Court For The Southern District Of Ohio (D.Ohio) # United States District Court For The Eastern District Of Oklahoma (E.D.Ok.) # United States District Court For The Northern District Of Oklahoma (N.D.Ok.) # United States District Court For The Western District Of Oklahoma (W.D.Ok.) # United States District Court For The District Of Oregon (D.Ore.) # United States District Court For The Eastern District Of Pennsylvania (E.D.Penn.) # United States District Court For The Middle District Of Pennsylvania (M.D.Penn.) # United States District Court For The Western District Of Pennsylvania (W.D.Penn.) # United States District Court For The District Of Puerto Rico (D.P.R.) # United States District Court For The District Of Rhode Island (D.R.I.) # United States District Court For The District Of South Carolina (D.S.C.) # United States District Court For The District Of South Dakota (D.S.Dak.) # United States District Court For The Eastern District Of Tennessee (E.D.Tenn.) # United States District Court For The Middle District Of Tennessee (M.D.Tenn.) # United States District Court For The Western District Of Tennessee (W.D.Tenn.) # United States District Court For The Eastern District Of Texas (E.D.Tex.) # United States District Court For The Northern District Of Texas (N.D.Tex.) # United States District Court For The Southern District Of Texas (S.D.Tex.) # United States District Court For The Western District Of Texas (W.D.Tex.) # United States District Court For The District Of Utah (D.Utah) # United States District Court For The District Of Vermont (D.Vt.) # United States District Court For The Eastern District Of Virginia (E.D.Va.) # United States District Court For The Western District Of Virginia (W.D.Va.) # United States District Court For The Eastern District Of Washington (E.D.Wash.) # United States District Court For The Western District Of Washington (W.D.Wash.) # United States District Court For The Northern District Of West Virginia (N.D.W.Va.) # United States District Court For The Southern District Of West Virginia (S.D.W.Va.) # United States District Court For The Eastern District Of Wisconsin (E.D.Wis.) # United States District Court For The Western District Of Wisconsin (W.D.Wis.) # United States District Court For The District Of Wyoming (D.Wyo.) EXTINCT DISTRICT COURTS Most extinct district courts have disappeared by being divided into smaller districts. The following courts were subdivided out of existence:
On rare occasions, an extinct district court was extinguished by merging it with other district courts. In every case, this has restored a district court which had been subdivided:
There are a few additional extinct district courts which don't fall into either of the above two patterns.
EXTERNAL LINKS
|