Jump to content

United States federal judicial district

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
U.S. Court of Appeals and District Court map

In the U.S. federal judicial system, the United States is divided into 94 judicial districts. Each state has at least one judicial district, as do the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

Each judicial district contains a United States district court with a bankruptcy court under its authority. There is also a United States Attorney in each district, who acts as the federal government's lawyer in the district, both prosecuting federal criminal cases and defending the government (and its employees) in civil suits against them; the U.S. Attorney is not employed by the judicial branch but by the Department of Justice, part of the executive branch. There is also a Federal Public Defender who represents people charged with federal crimes who cannot afford to hire their own lawyers; some FPDs cover more than one judicial district. Each district also has a United States Marshal who serves the court system.

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.[1] The breakdown of what is in each judicial district is codified in 28 U.S.C. §§ 81131. Federal judicial districts have also been established in the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Courts in other insular areas are territorial courts under Article I of the Constitution, not United States district courts, although they have similar jurisdiction. Only two districts have jurisdiction over areas outside the state in which the court sits:

Census 1790–1840

[edit]

From 1790 to 1840 judicial district offices were responsible for census activities, which were in turn conducted by the United States Marshal Service. After the passage of the Census Act of 1840 a central federal census was formed to take charge of census activities.

List of districts

[edit]

Below is a list of the federal judicial districts and the place(s) where each court "sits" (holds trials) in each district.

Circuit State District Seat(s)
11 Alabama Northern Florence, Huntsville, Decatur, Birmingham, Anniston, Tuscaloosa
Middle Montgomery, Dothan, Opelika
Southern Mobile
9 Alaska Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Ketchikan, Nome
9 Arizona Phoenix, Prescott, Tucson, Yuma, Flagstaff
8 Arkansas Eastern Little Rock, Helena, Jonesboro
Western Texarkana, El Dorado, Fort Smith, Harrison, Fayetteville, Hot Springs
9 California Northern Eureka, Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose
Eastern Fresno, Redding, Sacramento, Bakersfield, Yosemite
Central Riverside, Los Angeles, Santa Ana
Southern San Diego, El Centro
10 Colorado Denver, Durango, Grand Junction, Colorado Springs
2 Connecticut Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven
3 Delaware Wilmington
D.C. District of Columbia Washington
11 Florida Northern Gainesville, Panama City, Pensacola, Tallahassee
Middle Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Ocala, Orlando, Tampa
Southern Fort Lauderdale, Fort Pierce, Key West, Miami, West Palm Beach
11 Georgia Northern Gainesville, Atlanta, Rome, Newnan
Middle Athens, Macon, Columbus, Albany, Valdosta
Southern Augusta, Dublin, Savannah, Waycross, Brunswick, Statesboro
9 Hawaii Honolulu
9 Idaho Boise, Coeur d'Alene, Moscow, Pocatello
7 Illinois Northern Chicago, Rockford
Central Urbana, Peoria, Rock Island, Springfield
Southern Benton, East St. Louis
7 Indiana Northern Fort Wayne, South Bend, Hammond, Lafayette
Southern Indianapolis, Terre Haute, Evansville, New Albany
8 Iowa Northern Cedar Rapids, Sioux City
Southern Des Moines, Council Bluffs, Davenport
10 Kansas Kansas City, Topeka, Wichita
6 Kentucky Eastern Ashland, Covington, Frankfort, Lexington, London, Pikeville
Western Bowling Green, Louisville, Owensboro, Paducah
5 Louisiana Eastern New Orleans
Middle Baton Rouge
Western Alexandria, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe, Shreveport
1 Maine Bangor, Portland
4 Maryland Baltimore, Greenbelt
1 Massachusetts Boston, Springfield, Worcester
6 Michigan Eastern Ann Arbor, Detroit, Flint, Port Huron, Bay City
Western Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Marquette
8 Minnesota Saint Paul, Minneapolis, Duluth, Fergus Falls
5 Mississippi Northern Aberdeen, Oxford, Greenville
Southern Jackson, Natchez, Gulfport, Hattiesburg
8 Missouri Eastern St. Louis, Hannibal, Cape Girardeau
Western Kansas City, Joplin, Saint Joseph, Jefferson City, Springfield
9 Montana Billings, Butte, Great Falls, Helena, Missoula
8 Nebraska Lincoln, North Platte, Omaha
9 Nevada Las Vegas, Reno
1 New Hampshire Concord
3 New Jersey Camden, Newark, Trenton
10 New Mexico Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Roswell, Santa Fe
2 New York Northern Albany, Binghamton, Plattsburgh, Syracuse, Utica
Southern New York City, White Plains
Eastern Brooklyn, Central Islip
Western Buffalo, Rochester
4 North Carolina Eastern Elizabeth City, Fayetteville, Greenville, New Bern, Raleigh, Wilmington
Middle Durham, Greensboro, Winston-Salem
Western Asheville, Charlotte, Statesville
8 North Dakota Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks, Minot
6 Ohio Northern Cleveland, Youngstown, Akron, Toledo
Southern Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus
10 Oklahoma Northern Tulsa
Eastern Muskogee
Western Oklahoma City
9 Oregon Eugene, Medford, Pendleton, Portland
3 Pennsylvania Eastern Allentown, Easton, Reading, Philadelphia
Middle Harrisburg, Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Williamsport
Western Erie, Johnstown, Pittsburgh
1 Puerto Rico San Juan
1 Rhode Island Providence
4 South Carolina Charleston, Columbia, Florence, Aiken, Greenville, Anderson, Spartanburg
8 South Dakota Aberdeen, Sioux Falls, Pierre, Rapid City
6 Tennessee Eastern Knoxville, Greeneville, Chattanooga, Winchester
Middle Nashville, Cookeville, Columbia
Western Jackson, Memphis
5 Texas Northern Dallas, Fort Worth, Abilene, San Angelo, Amarillo, Wichita Falls, Lubbock
Southern Galveston, Houston, Laredo, Brownsville, Victoria, Corpus Christi, McAllen
Eastern Tyler, Beaumont, Sherman, Marshall, Texarkana, Lufkin
Western Austin, Waco, El Paso, San Antonio, Del Rio, Pecos, Midland, Alpine, Fort Hood
10 Utah Salt Lake City, St. George
2 Vermont Brattleboro, Burlington, Rutland
4 Virginia Eastern Alexandria, Newport News, Norfolk, Richmond
Western Abingdon, Big Stone Gap, Charlottesville, Danville, Harrisonburg, Lynchburg, Roanoke
9 Washington Eastern Spokane, Yakima, Richland
Western Seattle, Tacoma
4 West Virginia Northern Clarksburg, Elkins, Martinsburg, Wheeling
Southern Beckley, Bluefield, Charleston, Huntington
7 Wisconsin Eastern Green Bay, Milwaukee
Western Madison
10 Wyoming Casper, Cheyenne, Mammoth

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "District Courts". United States Courts. Retrieved 26 January 2011.