In the U.S. federal judicial system, the United States is divided into 94 judicial districts. Each state has at least one judicial district, as do the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
Each judicial district contains a United States district court with a bankruptcy court under its authority. There is also a United States Attorney in each district, who acts as the federal government's lawyer in the district, both prosecuting federal criminal cases and defending the government (and its employees) in civil suits against them; the U.S. Attorney is not employed by the judicial branch but by the Department of Justice, part of the executive branch. There is also a Federal Public Defender who represents people charged with federal crimes who cannot afford to hire their own lawyers; some FPDs cover more than one judicial district. Each district also has a United States Marshal who serves the court system.
Federal judicial districts have also been established in the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Three territories of the United States — the Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands — have district courts that hear federal cases, including bankruptcy cases; those three courts are territorial courts under Article I of the Constitution, not United States district courts, although they have similar jurisdiction. The breakdown of what is in each judicial district is codified in . Only two districts have jurisdiction over areas outside the state in which the court sits:
The District of Wyoming includes all of Yellowstone National Park, including areas in Montana and Idaho., Idaho; , Montana; , Wyoming. This is the basis for the theory of the Zone of Death. The District of Hawaii includes the United States Minor Outlying Islands in the Pacific Ocean: Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Atoll, Palmyra Atoll, and Wake Island., Hawaii.
American Samoa and Navassa Island are the only United States territories without a designated federal court. Federal criminal cases arising in these territories, or outside any federal judicial district, are heard in the district where the defendant is arrested, first brought, last resided, or in the District of Columbia., Offenses not committed in any district. Under this rule, federal criminal cases arising in American Samoa are often heard in the District of Hawaii, and a murder on Navassa Island in 1889 was heard in the District of Maryland.
Census 1790–1840 From 1790 to 1840 judicial district offices were responsible for census activities, which were in turn conducted by the United States Marshal Service. After the passage of the Census Act of 1840, a central federal census office was established to take charge of census activities.
List of districts Below is a list of the federal judicial districts and the place(s) where each court "sits" (holds trials) in each district.
Circuit State District Seat(s) 11 Alabama Northern Florence, Huntsville, Decatur, Birmingham, Anniston, Tuscaloosa Middle Montgomery, Dothan, Opelika Southern Mobile 9 Alaska Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Ketchikan, Nome 9 Arizona Phoenix, Prescott, Tucson, Yuma, Flagstaff 8 Arkansas Eastern Little Rock, Helena, Jonesboro Western Texarkana, El Dorado, Fort Smith, Harrison, Fayetteville, Hot Springs 9 California Northern Eureka, Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose Eastern Fresno, Redding, Sacramento, Bakersfield, Yosemite Central Riverside, Los Angeles, Santa Ana Southern San Diego, El Centro 10 Colorado Denver, Durango, Grand Junction, Colorado Springs 2 Connecticut Bridgeport, Hartford, New Haven 3 Delaware Wilmington D.C. District of Columbia Washington 11 Florida Northern Gainesville, Panama City, Pensacola, Tallahassee Middle Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Ocala, Orlando, Tampa Southern Fort Lauderdale, Fort Pierce, Key West, Miami, West Palm Beach 11 Georgia Northern Gainesville, Atlanta, Rome, Newnan Middle Athens, Macon, Columbus, Albany, Valdosta Southern Augusta, Dublin, Savannah, Waycross, Brunswick, Statesboro 9 Hawaii Honolulu 9 Idaho Boise, Coeur d'Alene, Moscow, Pocatello 7 Illinois Northern Chicago, Rockford Central Urbana, Peoria, Rock Island, Springfield Southern Benton, East St. Louis 7 Indiana Northern Fort Wayne, South Bend, Hammond, Lafayette Southern Indianapolis, Terre Haute, Evansville, New Albany 8 Iowa Northern Cedar Rapids, Sioux City Southern Des Moines, Council Bluffs, Davenport 10 Kansas Kansas City, Topeka, Wichita 6 Kentucky Eastern Ashland, Covington, Frankfort, Lexington, London, Pikeville Western Bowling Green, Louisville, Owensboro, Paducah 5 Louisiana Eastern New Orleans Middle Baton Rouge Western Alexandria, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe, Shreveport 1 Maine Bangor, Portland 4 Maryland Baltimore, Greenbelt 1 Massachusetts Boston, Springfield, Worcester 6 Michigan Eastern Ann Arbor, Detroit, Flint, Port Huron, Bay City Western Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Marquette 8 Minnesota Saint Paul, Minneapolis, Duluth, Fergus Falls 5 Mississippi Northern Aberdeen, Oxford, Greenville Southern Jackson, Natchez, Gulfport, Hattiesburg 8 Missouri Eastern St. Louis, Hannibal, Cape Girardeau Western Kansas City, Joplin, Saint Joseph, Jefferson City, Springfield 9 Montana Billings, Butte, Great Falls, Helena, Missoula 8 Nebraska Lincoln, North Platte, Omaha 9 Nevada Las Vegas, Reno 1 New Hampshire Concord 3 New Jersey Camden, Newark, Trenton 10 New Mexico Albuquerque, Las Cruces, Roswell, Santa Fe 2 New York Northern Albany, Binghamton, Plattsburgh, Syracuse, Utica Southern New York City, White Plains Eastern Brooklyn, Central Islip Western Buffalo, Rochester 4 North Carolina Eastern Elizabeth City, Fayetteville, Greenville, New Bern, Raleigh, Wilmington Middle Durham, Greensboro, Winston-Salem Western Asheville, Charlotte, Statesville 8 North Dakota Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks, Minot 6 Ohio Northern Cleveland, Youngstown, Akron, Toledo Southern Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus 10 Oklahoma Northern Tulsa Eastern Muskogee Western Oklahoma City 9 Oregon Eugene, Medford, Pendleton, Portland 3 Pennsylvania Eastern Allentown, Easton, Reading, Philadelphia Middle Harrisburg, Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, Williamsport Western Erie, Johnstown, Pittsburgh 1 Puerto Rico San Juan 1 Rhode Island Providence 4 South Carolina Charleston, Columbia, Florence, Aiken, Greenville, Anderson, Spartanburg 8 South Dakota Aberdeen, Sioux Falls, Pierre, Rapid City 6 Tennessee Eastern Knoxville, Greeneville, Chattanooga, Winchester Middle Nashville, Cookeville, Columbia Western Jackson, Memphis 5 Texas Northern Dallas, Fort Worth, Abilene, San Angelo, Amarillo, Wichita Falls, Lubbock Southern Galveston, Houston, Laredo, Brownsville, Victoria, Corpus Christi, McAllen Eastern Tyler, Beaumont, Sherman, Marshall, Texarkana, Lufkin Western Austin, Waco, El Paso, San Antonio, Del Rio, Pecos, Midland, Alpine, Fort Hood 10 Utah Salt Lake City, St. George 2 Vermont Brattleboro, Burlington, Rutland 4 Virginia Eastern Alexandria, Newport News, Norfolk, Richmond Western Abingdon, Big Stone Gap, Charlottesville, Danville, Harrisonburg, Lynchburg, Roanoke 9 Washington Eastern Spokane, Yakima, Richland Western Seattle, Tacoma 4 West Virginia Northern Clarksburg, Elkins, Martinsburg, Wheeling Southern Beckley, Bluefield, Charleston, Huntington 7 Wisconsin Eastern Green Bay, Milwaukee Western Madison 10 Wyoming Casper, Cheyenne, Mammoth
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