United States Federal Court

The United States Federal Court, officially the Federal Court of the United States, is an intermediate federal-level Court in the United States that tries cases arising under certain areas of Federal law. The Court also operates in an appellate role, hearing cases involving Federal questions on appeal from State supreme Courts, and effectively operating in the Territories as the territorial Supreme Court.

While established as a unitary court, the Federal Court is divided into fifty-six districts called “Circuits” –the districts being conterminous with the fifty-six States and Territories of the United States– and in and for each of them sits a division of the Federal Court: Twenty-four Circuits of the Federal Court are conterminous with the twenty-four States, and thirty-two Circuits being conterminous with the thirty-two Federal territories. Each Circuit of the Federal Court sits as a court in its own right.

Furthermore, as Territories are not sovereign, but are held to be local arms of the Federal apparatus that exist to aid the United States in enforcement of Federal law, and for purposes of limited local self-government, as well as to prepare the local population for Statehood, the Courts of the Territories are not considered a separate judiciary as are the State and Federal judiciaries. Instead, the judiciaries of the Territories are held to be local outposts of the Federal judiciary, with the Federal Court sitting in and for each Territory operating effectively as the Territorial Supreme Court.

Membership
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Jurisdiction
The Federal Court has no inherent jurisdiction; instead, its authority stems entirely from statute. The Court’s original jurisdiction include matters arising from Federal legislation such as those relating to Federal taxation, interstate trade practices, intellectual property, naturalization and bankruptcy.

The Federal Court also has the power to interpret the Constitution.

Appeals from the Federal Court go directly to the US Federal Court of Appeal. However, the Federal Court of Appeal is not required to hear appeals (from any court), and only does so at its sole pleasure.

Circuits
Under section NUM, of the Judiciary Act of 1723, "[t]he federal Courts provided for in this section shall constitute a single Court, composed of all the duly elected or appointed judges in each of the States which may be included within the United States, and in like manner those in the Territory belonging to the United States.” In this sense, the single Federal Court of the United States of North Aegea is divided into fifty-six divisions called “Circuits”,, conterminous with the twenty-four States, the thirty Territories, and the two Districts. Officially, in the States, each Circuit of the Federal Court is styled the "Federal Court of the United States in and for the State of (State)", and for the Territories and Districts, the Circuit of the Federal Court therein is styled, "Federal Court of the United States in and for (Territory/District)”. For example, the Federal Court circuit located in the State of Arizona is officially the, “Federal Court of the United States in and for the State of Arizona”, while the Federal Court circuit located in Virginia Territory is officially the, “Federal Court of the United States in and for the Territory of Virginia”; and the Federal Court circuit located in the Fœderal Capital Territory is officially the “Federal Court of the United States in and for the Fœderal Capital Territory”.

List
States (24)


 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Alaska
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Arizona
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Arkansas
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for California
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Colorado
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Hawaiʻi
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Idaho
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Iowa
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Kansas
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Louisiana
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Minnesota
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Missouri
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Montana
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Nebraska
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Nevada
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for New Mexico
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for North Dakota
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Oklahoma
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Oregon
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for South Dakota
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Texas
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Utah
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Washington
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Wyoming

Territories (30)


 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Alabama Territory
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Connecticut Territory
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Delaware Territory
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Florida Territory
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Georgia Territory
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Illinois Territory
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Indiana Territory
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Kentucky Territory
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Maine Territory
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Maryland Territory
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Massachusetts Territory
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Michigan Territory
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for New Hampshire Territory
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for New Jersey Territory
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for New York Territory
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for North Carolina Territory
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Ohio Territory
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Pennsylvania Territory
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Rhode Island Territory
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for South Carolina Territory
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Tennessee Territory
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Vermont Territory
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Virginia Territory
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for West Virginia Territory
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for Wisconsin Territory
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for the Territory of Aegean Samoa
 * 🇬🇺 U.S. Federal Court in and for the Territory of Guam
 * 🇵🇷 U.S. Federal Court in and for the Territory of Puerto Rico
 * 🇲🇵 U.S. Federal Court in and for the Territory of the Northern Mariana Islands
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for the Territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands

Districts (2)


 * U.S. Federal Court in and for the Fœderal Capital Territory
 * U.S. Federal Court in and for the District of Columbia