The federal trial system divides the country into 94 judicial districts, grouped for appeals into 13 circuits. That is the US District Court map in one sentence. Every state has at least one district, no district crosses a state line, and each district sits under one regional court of appeals (with two specialized circuits added on top). If you need to know which district covers a specific address, the fastest route is the Court Finder tool at uscourts.gov, which returns the district and division for any county or zip code.
How the 94 Districts Are Drawn
Every state has at least one federal judicial district, and no district ever crosses a state line.1United States Courts. About U.S. District Courts Smaller states like Vermont and Rhode Island are a single district covering the whole state. Larger or more populous states are carved into multiple districts using compass labels. Texas has four: Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western. New York and California each have four as well. Congress sets these boundaries by statute and adjusts the number of authorized judgeships as caseloads shift. System-wide, roughly 677 district judgeships are authorized.2United States Courts. Status of Article III Judgeships – Judicial Business 2023
Many districts are further broken into divisions, each with its own courthouse. A district can span dozens of counties, and your filing goes to a specific division based on where the events happened or where the defendant lives. The divisions exist so nobody has to drive across an entire state to reach a federal courthouse. Most district court websites publish the list of counties assigned to each division, which is the authoritative way to confirm where your matter belongs.
The 13 Circuits Above Them
Above the district courts sit 13 courts of appeals. Eleven are numbered (First through Eleventh), and two are specialized: the D.C. Circuit and the Federal Circuit.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 U.S. Code 41 – Number and Composition of Circuits Each numbered circuit covers a cluster of states. The First Circuit handles appeals from Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Puerto Rico.4United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. About the Court The Ninth Circuit is the largest, spanning nine western states plus Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Hawaii.5United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. What is the Ninth Circuit?
When someone loses at the district court level, they appeal to the circuit covering that district. Every district court within a circuit is bound by the same appellate precedent. If the Fifth Circuit reads a federal statute one way and the Ninth Circuit reads it differently, that split can eventually reach the Supreme Court for resolution.
The Federal Circuit is the outlier on the map. Instead of a geographic region, it has nationwide jurisdiction over specific subject areas, particularly patent cases and certain claims against the federal government.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 U.S. Code 1295 – Jurisdiction of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit A patent dispute decided in any district court goes to the Federal Circuit on appeal, not to the regional circuit for that district.
Territories and D.C. on the Map
The map extends beyond the 50 states. Congress has established district courts in Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands under its power to govern the territories.7The United States Government Manual. Territorial Courts These courts function much like district courts in the states, hearing federal and certain local matters, though their judges serve fixed terms rather than lifetime appointments.
Each territory is assigned to a regional circuit for appeals. Puerto Rico falls within the First Circuit. The Virgin Islands belong to the Third Circuit. Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands are part of the Ninth Circuit.5United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. What is the Ninth Circuit? The District of Columbia stands as its own district with its own circuit, reflecting its status as the seat of the federal government. The result is that federal trial and appellate review reach every U.S. jurisdiction, not only the states.
Which District Should You File In
Finding your district on the map is only half the question. The other half is whether that district is the proper venue for your case. Federal venue rules generally let you bring a civil lawsuit in the district where any defendant lives (if all defendants live in the same state), or in the district where a substantial part of the events giving rise to the claim took place.8Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 U.S. Code 1391 – Venue Generally For individuals, “resides” means the district of domicile. For corporations, it is any district where the company is subject to personal jurisdiction.
Use the Court Finder on uscourts.gov to confirm the district and division for a given county or zip code. Getting this right matters. Filing in the wrong district can get your case dismissed or transferred.9Justia. 28 U.S.C. 1406 – Cure or Waiver of Defects A transfer is the better outcome of the two, since the court can send the case to the correct district in the interest of justice. Dismissal is also possible, and either way you lose time.
What It Costs and How to File
Filing a new civil case in federal district court costs $405: a $350 statutory filing fee plus a $55 administrative fee.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1914 – District Court Filing and Miscellaneous Fees11United States Courts. District Court Miscellaneous Fee Schedule That fee is non-refundable. File in the wrong place and get dismissed, and you pay again in the correct district.
Attorneys filing documents must use the court’s electronic filing system, CM/ECF, which requires both a PACER account and registration with the specific court where the case is pending.12United States Courts. Electronic Filing (CM/ECF) Each court sets its own local training requirements for CM/ECF access, so check the court’s website before your first filing there. Registration with one district does not carry over to another, which is one more reason the geography on the map has day-to-day consequences for anyone practicing across district lines.