WASHINGTON, July 21 — The figure that matters: 94. That’s the number of U.S. district courts that serve as the trial-level workhorses of the federal judiciary. Each covers one of 94 federal judicial districts, with every district spanning either an entire state or a portion of one.
For businesses, these are the courts where most federal civil litigation begins — disputes over federal law, cases between residents of different states (diversity jurisdiction), and federal criminal matters.
By the Numbers
Among the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, there are 89 districts. Add the territorial courts in Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the total hits 94. States hold between one and four districts, typically named by directional labels such as Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western, Middle, or Central.
New York and Texas each have four districts, using all four cardinal designations uniquely. California has a Central District but no Western District.
Congress established these courts not through the Constitution but under Article III via the Judiciary Act of 1789. That act created the first 13 districts among the 11 states that had ratified by then. After North Carolina and Rhode Island ratified, one district was added for each, bringing the total to 15.
How the System Works
Each district has at least one federal courthouse, and many have more than one. Appeals from district court decisions go to the U.S. court of appeals for the circuit in which the district sits, except for certain specialized cases that go directly to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit or to the Supreme Court. The courts handle both civil and criminal cases and are courts of law, equity, and admiralty.
Unlike state courts, federal district courts are courts of limited jurisdiction: they can hear only disputes involving federal law, diversity of citizenship, or federal crimes. State courts, however, retain concurrent jurisdiction over most federal matters.
The absence of a district court in American Samoa means its federal cases are sent to the District of Columbia or Hawaii. The Philippines, once part of the United States, never had a seat in the federal district court system.
Historical Context
During the drafting and ratification of the Constitution, opponents of a strong federal judiciary argued that federal courts should be limited to the Supreme Court, with state courts serving as federal tribunals under Article I. That position did not prevail. The first Congress created the district court system instead.
There are also other federal trial courts with nationwide jurisdiction over certain types of cases, but the 94 district courts remain the backbone — geographically dispersed, congressionally created, and constitutionally anchored. For businesses operating across state lines, the bottom line: the district court in your region is the likely venue for any federal case that lands on your desk.
