District court judges enjoy life tenure, as mandated by Article III. Currently, there are over district judgeships authorized by Congress. Multiple judges serve on each circuit, ranging from six on the First Circuit to 29 on the Ninth Circuit. Like district judges, circuit judges are nominated by the President, confirmed by the Senate, and enjoy life tenure in accordance with Article III of the Constitution.
When a district court decides a case, litigants may appeal the decision to the corresponding appellate court. There are some types of cases, however, such as some rulings by federal agencies, that are brought directly to circuit courts. All parties in the case submit briefs to the court presenting their legal arguments for why the lower court ruling should be upheld or struck down. Amicus briefs allow third parties to present additional legal arguments for the court to consider that may not have been presented by the parties to the case.
On rare occasions, the court may also hear the case en banc , where a larger panel of judges the number varies by circuit reviews the district court decision. Throughout history, fifteen federal judges have been impeached due to alleged wrongdoing. One exception to the lifetime appointment is for magistrate judges, which are selected by district judges and serve a specified term.
The district courts are the general trial courts of the federal court system. Each district court has at least one United States District Judge, appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate for a life term. District courts handle trials within the federal court system — both civil and criminal.
The districts are the same as those for the U. Attorneys, and the U. Attorney is the primary prosecutor for the federal government in his or her respective area.
There are over district court judges nationwide. Some tasks of the district court are given to federal magistrate judges. Magistrates are appointed by the district court by a majority vote of the judges and serve for a term of eight years if full-time and four years if part-time, but they can be reappointed after completion of their term.
In criminal matters, magistrate judges may oversee certain cases, issue search warrants and arrest warrants, conduct initial hearings, set bail, decide certain motions such as a motion to suppress evidence , and other similar actions.
In civil cases, magistrates often handle a variety of issues such as pre-trial motions and discovery. Federal trial courts have also been established for a few subject-specific areas. Each federal district also has a bankruptcy court for those proceedings. Once the federal district court has decided a case, the case can be appealed to a United States court of appeal.
There are twelve federal circuits that divide the country into different regions. Cases from the district courts of those states are appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which is headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana. Additionally, the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals has a nationwide jurisdiction over very specific issues such as patents. Each circuit court has multiple judges, ranging from six on the First Circuit to twenty-nine on the Ninth Circuit.
Each district includes a U. Four territories of the United States have U. There are also two special trial courts. The Court of International Trade addresses cases involving international trade and customs laws. The U. Court of Federal Claims deals with most claims for money damages against the U. Federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction over bankruptcy cases involving personal, business, or farm bankruptcy. This means a bankruptcy case cannot be filed in state court.
Through the bankruptcy process, individuals or businesses that can no longer pay their creditors may either seek a court-supervised liquidation of their assets, or they may reorganize their financial affairs and work out a plan to pay their debts.
Congress created several Article I, or legislative courts, that do not have full judicial power. Judicial power is the authority to be the final decider in all questions of Constitutional law, all questions of federal law and to hear claims at the core of habeas corpus issues. Article I Courts are:. Main content Court Role and Structure Federal courts hear cases involving the constitutionality of a law, cases involving the laws and treaties of the U. Courts of Appeals There are 13 appellate courts that sit below the U.
Bankruptcy Courts Federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction over bankruptcy cases involving personal, business, or farm bankruptcy. Article I Courts Congress created several Article I, or legislative courts, that do not have full judicial power. Article I Courts are: U.
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