United States district court

<p>The United States district courts are the <a href="/facts/Trial_court/J959zCGl">trial courts</a> of the <a href="/facts/United_States_federal_judiciary/RfX1mMs6">U.S. federal judiciary</a>.  There is one district court for each <a href="/facts/United_States_federal_judicial_district/PfpALkrT">federal judicial district</a>.  Each district covers one <a href="/facts/U.S._state/PFwcRIYQ">U.S. state</a> or a portion of a state. There is at least one <a href="/facts/List_of_United_States_federal_courthouses/uG9AqukF">federal courthouse</a> in each district, and many districts have more than one. District court decisions are appealed to the <a href="/facts/United_States_courts_of_appeals/BffEuR1j">U.S. court of appeals</a> for the circuit in which they reside, except for certain specialized cases that are appealed to the <a href="/facts/United_States_Court_of_Appeals_for_the_Federal_Circuit/HWYvYRYa">U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit</a> or directly to the <a href="/facts/Supreme_Court_of_the_United_States/rJHothwW">U.S. Supreme Court</a>.
</p><p>District courts are courts of <a href="/facts/Common_law/vGVcW4Kf">law</a>, <a href="/facts/Court_of_equity/JQHL1j73">equity</a>, and <a href="/facts/Admiralty_court/FXPKCoyw">admiralty</a>, and can hear both <a href="/facts/Civil_law_(common_law)/7apK9Gaa">civil</a> and <a href="/facts/Criminal_law/XXfgv9as">criminal</a> cases. But unlike <a href="/facts/State_court_(United_States)/cjcdnRhU">U.S. state courts</a>, federal district courts are courts of <a href="/facts/Limited_jurisdiction/TdP7PNXQ">limited jurisdiction</a>, and can only hear cases that involve disputes between <a href="/facts/Diversity_jurisdiction/0Qnpybw0">residents of different states</a>, <a href="/facts/Federal_question_jurisdiction/tKRAxgXG">questions of federal law</a>, or federal crimes.
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United States district court open-in-new

United States district court