U.S. Federal Courts

This page provides an overview of the Article III courts that are below the Supreme Court of the United States including the U.S. Court of Appeals, U.S. District Courts, and the U.S. Court of International Trade.

The U.S. Courts of Appeals are intermediate appellate courts empowered to review all final decisions and certain interlocutory decisions of district courts. They also are empowered to review and enforce orders of many Federal administrative bodies. The decisions of the courts of appeals are final except when they are subject to review on writ of certiorari by the Supreme Court.

(Image source: uscourts.gov)

According to the U.S. Government Manual: 

• The United States is divided geographically into 12 judicial circuits, including the District of Columbia.
• Each circuit has a court of appeals (28 U.S.C. 41, 1294).
• Each of the 50 States is assigned to one of the circuits.
• The territories and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico are assigned variously to the first, third, and ninth circuits.
• There is also a Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which has nationwide jurisdiction defined by subject matter.

To obtain a complete list of judges as well as information on opinions and cases before the court, consult the Judicial Circuit
websites listed below. 

There are 94 federal judicial districts with at least one district court in each state, and the District of Columbia. Each district includes a U.S. bankruptcy court as a unit of the district court. Four territories of the United States have courts that hear federal cases, including bankruptcy cases: Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. A district court’s ruling can be appealed to a U.S. court of appeals.

The United States Court of International Trade, established under Article III of the Constitution, has nationwide jurisdiction over civil actions arising out of the customs and international trade laws of the United States.