United States District Courts

The 94 United States District Courts are the first-level trial courts in the U.S. judicial system. Each state has at least one district court, with larger states having several districts. Each district court is individually administered under the direction of a designated chief judge.

There are 89 districts in the 50 states, which are listed with their divisions in Title 28 of the U.S. Code, Sections 81-144. District courts also exist in:

• Puerto Rico
• the Virgin Islands
• the District of Columbia
• Guam
• the Northern Mariana Islands

Direct supervision of the district courts is handled by the U.S. Courts of Appeals.

The district courts were created under the authority of Article III of the U.S. Constitution.