The federal court system of the United States has three main levels. The very first is the district or trial courts, then the circuit courts, which are the first level of appeal, and ultimately the Supreme Court or the final level of appeal in the federal system. Judge Charles Burns mentions that US Federal District Courts are at times referred to as the "work horses" of the federal courts. These courts hear both civil and criminal federal cases on the trial level.
Judge Charles Burns provides an insight into the type of cases heard at Federal District Courts of the USUS Federal District Courts are established by the Congress. They are broken down into 89 districts within the fifty states, along with six more that include United States territories. Appeals from such courts are headed at the Federal Circuit Appellate Courts corresponding to their specific geographic location. Federal District Courts commonly hear cases associated with:
- Federal criminal cases
- Violations of securities laws
- Disputes between states
- Matters pertaining to diplomatic and treaty law
- Interpretation of aspects of the US Constitution
- Military legal issues that are not handled in the military justice system
- Intellectual property law, like copyrights and patents
- Cases that involve people who live in two or more different states and are in dispute over property valued at $75,000 or more
- Legal actions against federal agencies, which may include lawsuits and allegations of wrongdoing
- Legal issues associated with navigable bodies of water, like rivers, the Great Lakes, and the ocean
As per Judge Charles Burns, in general, federal district courts just hear the cases that have any kind of federal implications or importance. The majority of other cases are handled at the municipal, county, or state levels. Charles Burns has run the drug court program at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse for more than a decade, serving as a human crutch and cheerleader to defendants struggling with substance abuse.
The US district courts can be considered to be the initial point of entry into the federal legal system for court cases that cannot be decided in the state courts. Other types of cases are simply handled at the local or state levels, which includes almost all cases linked with family law matters like divorce, wills, probate, child custody, as well as guardianship proceedings. Unless real estate litigation involves the laws of two or more states, such lawsuits are also typically settled in state courts. Bankruptcy proceedings, however, are only heard in US District Courts and cannot be decided at the state level.
Each and every state of the US has at least a single District Court that hears cases for companies and individuals within that state. Such a court has at least one US District Judge. Before a trial begins, the Judge generally holds pretrial conferences with the lawyers for both parties. This allows the US District Court Judge to determine if the case is appropriate for the venue. They are also able to better understand how to manage the case more effectively if it is ultimately deemed appropriate for review by the federal court system.
