List of United States district and territorial courts

Last updated

There are 94 active United States district and territorial courts. [1] Each of the 50 states has between one and four district courts, and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico each have a district court.

Contents

The insular areas of Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands each have one territorial court; these courts are called "district courts" and exercise the same jurisdiction as district courts, [2] [3] but differ from district courts in that territorial courts are Article IV courts, with judges who serve ten-year terms rather than the lifetime tenure of judges of Article III courts, such as the district court judges. [3] American Samoa does not have a district court or a federal territorial court, and so federal matters there are sent to either the District of Columbia or Hawaii. [4]

Definition

Map of the boundaries of the 94 United States District Courts US Court of Appeals and District Court map.svg
Map of the boundaries of the 94 United States District Courts

The district courts were established by Congress under Article III of the United States Constitution. The courts hear civil and criminal cases, and each is paired with a bankruptcy court. [2] Appeals from the district courts are made to one of the 13 courts of appeals, organized geographically. The number of district courts in a court of appeals' circuit varies between one and thirteen, depending on the number of states in the region and the number of districts in each state. The formal naming convention for the district courts is "United States District Court for" followed by the district name. Each district court has one or more meeting places at which it holds hearings and conducts business. Many federal courthouses are named after notable judges, such as the Thurgood Marshall United States Courthouse in New York City or the Hugo L. Black United States Courthouse in Birmingham. The largest courthouse is the Thomas F. Eagleton United States Courthouse, which serves the Eastern District of Missouri. [5]

The largest courts by number of judges are the Central District of California and the Southern District of New York, each with 28 judgeships. The smallest are the District for the Northern Mariana Islands and the District of Guam, with one judgeship each.

Active courts

Key
Citation The abbreviation used to refer to court decisions.
EstablishedThe date the district court was established as a court or the date it was subdivided from a larger district.
JudgesThe number of judgeships authorized for the district.
Meeting placesThe number of locations at which the court hears cases.
RegionCitationCourt of
Appeals
EstablishedJudgesMeeting
places
Chief judge
Northern District of Alabama N.D. Ala. 11th 182488 R. David Proctor
Middle District of Alabama M.D. Ala. 11th 183933 Emily C. Marks
Southern District of Alabama S.D. Ala. 11th 182432 Jeff Beaverstock
District of Alaska D. Alaska 9th 195835 Sharon L. Gleason
District of Arizona D. Ariz. 9th 1910136 Jennifer Zipps
Eastern District of Arkansas E.D. Ark. 8th 185153 Kristine Baker
Western District of Arkansas W.D. Ark. 8th 185136 Susan O. Hickey
Central District of California C.D. Cal. 9th 1966284 Dolly Gee
Eastern District of California E.D. Cal. 9th 196663 Troy L. Nunley
Northern District of California N.D. Cal. 9th 1886144 Richard Seeborg
Southern District of California S.D. Cal. 9th 1850131 Cynthia Bashant
District of Colorado D. Col. or D. Colo. 10th 187678 Philip A. Brimmer
District of Connecticut D. Conn. 2nd 178985 Michael P. Shea
District of Delaware D. Del. 3rd 178941 Colm Connolly
District of the District of Columbia D.D.C. D.C. 1863151 James Boasberg
Northern District of Florida N.D. Fla. or N.D. Fl. 11th 184746 Allen Winsor
Middle District of Florida M.D. Fla. or M.D. Fl. 11th 1962158 Marcia Morales Howard
Southern District of Florida S.D. Fla. or S.D. Fl. 11th 1847185 Cecilia Altonaga
Northern District of Georgia N.D. Ga. 11th 1848114 Leigh Martin May
Middle District of Georgia M.D. Ga. 11th 192647 Leslie Abrams Gardner
Southern District of Georgia S.D. Ga. 11th 184836 R. Stan Baker
District of Guam D. Guam 9th 195111 Frances Tydingco-Gatewood
District of Hawaii D. Haw. 9th 195941 Derrick Watson
District of Idaho D. Idaho 9th 189024 David Nye
Northern District of Illinois N.D. Ill. 7th 1855234 Virginia Mary Kendall
Central District of Illinois C.D. Ill. 7th 197846 Sara Darrow
Southern District of Illinois S.D. Ill. 7th 185544 Nancy J. Rosenstengel
Northern District of Indiana N.D. Ind. 7th 192854 Holly A. Brady
Southern District of Indiana S.D. Ind. 7th 192855 James R. Sweeney II
Northern District of Iowa N.D. Iowa 8th 188226 C. J. Williams
Southern District of Iowa S.D. Iowa 8th 188236 Stephanie M. Rose
District of Kansas D. Kan. 10th 186169 John W. Broomes
Eastern District of Kentucky E.D. Ky. 6th 190169 David Bunning
Western District of Kentucky W.D. Ky. 6th 190154 Gregory N. Stivers
Eastern District of Louisiana E.D. La. 5th 1849122 Wendy Vitter
Middle District of Louisiana M.D. La. 5th 197131 Shelly Dick
Western District of Louisiana W.D. La. 5th 188176 Terry A. Doughty
District of Maine D. Me. 1st 178932 Lance E. Walker
District of Maryland D. Md. 4th 1789104 George L. Russell III
District of Massachusetts D. Mass. 1st 1789134 Denise J. Casper
Eastern District of Michigan E.D. Mich. 6th 1863155 Stephen Murphy III
Western District of Michigan W.D. Mich. 6th 186346 Hala Y. Jarbou
District of Minnesota D. Minn. 8th 185876 Patrick J. Schiltz
Northern District of Mississippi N.D. Miss. 5th 183837 Debra M. Brown
Southern District of Mississippi S.D. Miss. 5th 183867 Halil Suleyman Ozerden
Eastern District of Missouri E.D. Mo. 8th 185793 Stephen R. Clark
Western District of Missouri W.D. Mo. 8th 185775 Mary Elizabeth Phillips
District of Montana D. Mont. 9th 1889311 Brian Morris
District of Nebraska D. Neb. 8th 186733 Robert F. Rossiter Jr.
District of Nevada D. Nev. 9th 186576 Andrew P. Gordon
District of New Hampshire D.N.H. 1st 178932 Landya B. McCafferty
District of New Jersey D.N.J. 3rd 1789176 Renée Marie Bumb
District of New Mexico D.N.M. 10th 191073 Kenneth J. Gonzales
Eastern District of New York E.D.N.Y. 2nd 1865154 Margo Kitsy Brodie
Northern District of New York N.D.N.Y. 2nd 181458 Brenda K. Sannes
Southern District of New York S.D.N.Y. 2nd 1814283 Laura Taylor Swain
Western District of New York W.D.N.Y. 2nd 190045 Elizabeth A. Wolford
Eastern District of North Carolina E.D.N.C. 4th 187247 Richard E. Myers II
Middle District of North Carolina M.D.N.C. 4th 192743 Catherine Eagles
Western District of North Carolina W.D.N.C. 4th 187255 Martin Karl Reidinger
District of North Dakota D.N.D. 8th 189024 Peter D. Welte
District of the Northern Mariana Islands D.N. Mar. I. 9th 197711 Ramona Villagomez Manglona
Northern District of Ohio N.D. Ohio 6th 1855115 Sara Elizabeth Lioi
Southern District of Ohio S.D. Ohio 6th 185585 Sarah D. Morrison
Eastern District of Oklahoma E.D. Ok. or E.D. Okla. 10th 190628 Ronald A. White
Northern District of Oklahoma N.D. Ok. or N.D. Okla. 10th 192545 John F. Heil III
Western District of Oklahoma W.D. Ok. or W.D. Okla. 10th 1906710 Timothy D. DeGiusti
District of Oregon D. Or. or D. Ore. 9th 185967 Michael J. McShane
Eastern District of Pennsylvania E.D. Pa. 3rd 1818225 Wendy Beetlestone
Middle District of Pennsylvania M.D. Pa. 3rd 190165 Matthew W. Brann
Western District of Pennsylvania W.D. Pa. 3rd 1818103 Mark R. Hornak
District of Puerto Rico D.P.R. 1st 196673 Raúl M. Arias-Marxuach
District of Rhode Island D.R.I. 1st 179031 John J. McConnell Jr.
District of South Carolina D.S.C. 4th 17891011 Timothy M. Cain
District of South Dakota D.S.D. 8th 188935 Roberto Lange
Eastern District of Tennessee E.D. Tenn. 6th 180254 Travis R. McDonough
Middle District of Tennessee M.D. Tenn. 6th 183943 William L. Campbell Jr.
Western District of Tennessee W.D. Tenn. 6th 180253 Sheryl H. Lipman
Eastern District of Texas E.D. Tex. 5th 185787 Amos Mazzant
Northern District of Texas N.D. Tex. 5th 1879127 David C. Godbey
Southern District of Texas S.D. Tex. 5th 1902197 Randy Crane
Western District of Texas W.D. Tex. 5th 1857138 Alia Moses
District of Utah D. Utah 10th 189454 Robert J. Shelby
District of Vermont D. Vt. 2nd 179127 Christina Reiss
District of the Virgin Islands D.V.I. 3rd 193622 Robert A. Molloy
Eastern District of Virginia E.D. Va. 4th 1819114 Mark Steven Davis
Western District of Virginia W.D. Va. 4th 181947 Elizabeth K. Dillon
Eastern District of Washington E.D. Wash. 9th 190544 Stanley Bastian
Western District of Washington W.D. Wash. 9th 190573 David Estudillo
Northern District of West Virginia N.D. W. Va. 4th 190135 Tom Kleeh
Southern District of West Virginia S.D. W. Va. 4th 190156 Frank W. Volk
Eastern District of Wisconsin E.D. Wis. 7th 187053 Pamela Pepper
Western District of Wisconsin W.D. Wis. 7th 187025 James D. Peterson
District of Wyoming D. Wyo. 10th 189036 Kelly H. Rankin

Defunct courts

District of the Canal Zone Courthouse in Panama City, Panama Canal Zone Courthouse.jpg
District of the Canal Zone Courthouse in Panama City, Panama

Note: Defunct courts do not include courts consisting of an entire state that were later subdivided.

NameRegion(s)CitationEstablishedDisestablished
District of Edenton North Carolina17941797
District of New Bern North Carolina17941797
District of Wilmington North Carolina17941797
District of East Jersey New Jersey18011802
District of West Jersey New Jersey18011802
District of Potomac Maryland, Virginia, DC18011802
District of Norfolk Virginia18011802
District of Albemarle North Carolina18021872
District of Cape Fear North Carolina18021872
District of Pamptico North Carolina18021872
District of Orleans Louisiana18041812
Eastern District of Illinois IllinoisE.D. Ill.19051978
District of China China19061943
Eastern District of South Carolina South CarolinaE.D.S.C.19111965
Western District of South Carolina South CarolinaW.D.S.C.19111965
District of the Canal Zone Panama D.C.Z.19141982
District of Berlin West Berlin D.Berlin19551990

Subdivided courts

NameCitationEstablishedSubdivided
District of Alabama D. Ala.April 21, 1820March 10, 1824
District of Arkansas D. Ark.June 15, 1836March 3, 1851
District of California D. Cal.July 27, 1866 [6] August 5, 1886
District of Florida D. Fla.March 3, 1845February 23, 1847
District of Georgia D. Ga.September 24, 1789August 11, 1848
District of Illinois D. Ill.March 3, 1819February 13, 1855
District of Indiana D. Ind.March 3, 1817April 21, 1928
District of Iowa D. IowaMarch 3, 1845July 20, 1882
District of Kentucky D. Ky.September 24, 1789
March 8, 1802 [7]
February 13, 1801
February 12, 1901
District of Louisiana D. La.April 8, 1812
February 13, 1845
July 27, 1866
March 3, 1823
March 3, 1849
March 3, 1881
District of Michigan D. Mich.July 1, 1836February 24, 1863
District of Mississippi D. Miss.April 3, 1818June 18, 1838
District of Missouri D. Mo.March 16, 1822March 3, 1857
District of New York D.N.Y.September 24, 1789April 9, 1814
District of North Carolina D.N.C.June 4, 1790
March 3, 1797
June 9, 1794
April 29, 1802
District of Ohio D. OhioFebruary 19, 1803February 10, 1855
District of Pennsylvania D. Pa.September 24, 1789April 20, 1818
District of Tennessee D. Tenn.January 31, 1797
March 8, 1802 [8]
February 13, 1801
April 29, 1802
District of Texas D. Tex.December 29, 1845February 21, 1857
District of Virginia D. Va.September 24, 1789
March 8, 1802
June 11, 1864
February 13, 1801
February 4, 1819
February 3, 1871
District of Washington D. Wash.April 5, 1890March 2, 1905
District of West Virginia D.W.Va.June 11, 1864January 22, 1901
District of Wisconsin D. Wis.May 29, 1848June 30, 1870

See also

References

General
Specific
  1. "United States District Courts". Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Archived from the original on 2008-12-05. Retrieved 2009-06-15.
  2. 1 2 Article III Judges Division (2001-08-01). "An Introduction for Judges and Judicial Administrators in Other Countries" (PDF). The Federal Court System in the United States. Administrative Office of the United States Courts. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-05-13. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
  3. 1 2 "Territorial Courts". History of the Federal Judiciary. Federal Judicial Center. Archived from the original on May 14, 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
  4. https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-08-1124T GAO (U.S. Government Accountability Office. AMERICAN SAMOA: Issues Associated with Some Federal Court Options. September 18, 2008. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  5. "Thomas F. Eagleton Courthouse". St. Louis - Eastern Division. Archived from the original on 2009-05-12. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
  6. California was originally established with two district courts on September 28, 1850; these districts were merged into a single District of California on July 27, 1866.
  7. The District of Kentucky was abolished on February 13, 1801 by the Judiciary Act of 1801, 2 Stat. 89, and was restored with the repeal of this Act on March 8, 1802, 2 Stat. 132. U.S. District Courts of Kentucky, Legislative history, Federal Judicial Center .
  8. The District of Tennessee was abolished on February 13, 1801 by the Judiciary Act of 1801, 2 Stat. 89, and was restored with the repeal of this Act on March 8, 1802, 2 Stat. 132. U.S. District Courts of Tennessee, Legislative history, Federal Judicial Center .