United States federal judicial district explained

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.

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.^[1] The breakdown of what is in each judicial district is codified in . Federal judicial districts have also been established in the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Courts in other insular areas are territorial courts under Article I of the Constitution, not United States district courts, although they have similar jurisdiction. 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.
• The District of Hawaii includes Midway Island, Palmyra Island, and a number of other uninhabited Pacific island possessions of the United States.

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 was formed 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

Notes and References

1. Web site: District Courts. United States Courts. 26 January 2011.