What kind of federal courts are there

There are 94 federal judicial districts, including at least one district in each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Three territories of the United States—the Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands—have district courts that hear federal cases, including bankruptcy cases.

Bankruptcy Courts Each of the 94 federal judicial districts handles bankruptcy matters, and in almost all districts, bankruptcy cases are filed in the bankruptcy court.

Bankruptcy cases cannot be filed in state court. Bankruptcy laws help people who can no longer pay their creditors get a fresh start by liquidating their assets to pay their debts, or by creating a repayment plan. Bankruptcy laws also protect troubled businesses and provide for orderly distributions to business creditors through reorganization or liquidation. The vast majority of cases are filed under the three main chapters of the Bankruptcy Code, which are Chapter 7, Chapter 11, and Chapter Discover the differences in structure, judicial selection, and cases heard in both systems.

Supreme Court and gives Congress the authority to create the lower federal courts. The Constitution and laws of each state establish the state courts. A court of last resort, often known as a Supreme Court, is usually the highest court. Some states also have an intermediate Court of Appeals. Below these appeals courts are the state trial courts.

Some are referred to as Circuit or District Courts. Congress has used this power to establish the 13 U. Courts of Appeals, the 94 U. District Courts, the U. The plaintiff has the initial choice of bringing the case in state or federal court.

Note: the rules for diversity jurisdiction are much more complicated than explained here. Criminal cases may not be brought under diversity jurisdiction.

States may only bring criminal prosecutions in state courts, and the federal government may only bring criminal prosecutions in federal court. Also important to note, the principle of double jeopardy — which does not allow a defendant to be tried twice for the same charge — does not apply between the federal and state government.

If, for example, the state brings a murder charge and does not get a conviction, it is possible for the federal government in some cases to file charges against the defendant if the act is also illegal under federal law.

They may also be removed by impeachment by the House of Representatives and conviction by the Senate. Throughout history, fifteen federal judges have been impeached due to alleged wrongdoing.

One exception to the lifetime appointment is for magistrate judges, which are selected by district judges and serve a specified term. The district courts are the general trial courts of the federal court system. Each district court has at least one United States District Judge, appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate for a life term. District courts handle trials within the federal court system — both civil and criminal.

The districts are the same as those for the U. Attorneys, and the U. Attorney is the primary prosecutor for the federal government in his or her respective area. During that span, SCOTUS overturned a greater number of cases originating from the 9th Circuit , but it overturned a higher percentage of cases originating in the 6th Circuit The United States Courts of Appeals are the intermediate appellate courts of the nation. There are 16 of these courts. Decisions of the district courts are appealed to the circuit courts, and appeals of circuit court decisions are heard by the Supreme Court of the United States.

The United States District Courts are the trial courts of the federal courts. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of both law and equity. This level of court is composed of 94 different courts. There is at least one judicial district for each state, and one each for Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.

The United States Bankruptcy Courts handle matters of bankruptcy across the nation. The jurisdiction of these courts corresponds with the jurisdiction of the United States District Courts. There are seven courts of subject-matter jurisdiction in the federal court system.

Click here for a summary of these courts. These courts are:. The table below shows the number of judges of each type within the court structure, how they are selected, and how long their term lasts. Its figures were last updated on November 2, Article III judges refer to judges who serve on courts authorized by Article III of the Constitution, which created and enumerated the powers of the judiciary.

These judges are appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the U. Senate before joining the court. These judges serve life terms. Article III judges are not the only ones serving the federal judiciary. Bankruptcy judges and magistrate judges also contribute to case resolution. Bankruptcy judges serve year renewable terms after being appointed by the judges of the corresponding Circuit Court of Appeal.

Magistrate judges serve eight-year renewable terms and are appointed by a majority vote of active district judges on the court. The table below displays the number of judges in each circuit and indicates how many were appointed by presidents from each major political party. It also includes the number of vacancies on a circuit and how many pending nominations for that circuit are before the United States Senate.

The table can be sorted by clicking the column headers above the line. It is updated every Monday.