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Here's A Quick Way to Learn About District Courts

Here's A Quick Way to Learn About District Courts What is a District Court? 

In the United States, a district court is a court system that is part of the country’s Federal court system. There is at least one district court in every State in America. Puerto Rico and Washington D.C. also possesses a district court system. In total, throughout the United States there are 91 district courts. California, New York and Texas have the most district courts. Each State possesses four district courts. 

What Cases are heard in a District Court? 

A district court may hear criminal and civil cases, so long as they meet certain requirements. In the United States, a district court may hear a case where the dispute involves an incident that occurred at sea or within a particular maritime jurisdiction. In addition, a district court in the United States may hear a case in which the plaintiff and the defendant reside in different states, or in which one of the parties is an alien resident. These characteristics or case details, however, must involve a legal remedy or proposed resolution that does not exceed $75,000 dollars. 

Furthermore, a district court in the United States may also evaluate legal matters that would otherwise fall under a Federal jurisdiction. Examples of these matters include cases where the United States is the plaintiff or defendant involved in the case, or one in which a Federal employee is the defendant. The district court, through this alignment, may also hear cases where the underlying issue brought to trial is regarding a Federal, rather than a State, law.

The Judges in the District Court:

The judges of a district court are appointed by the President of the United States. Each judge of the district court maintains lifetime tenure. The number of judges of a particular district court is set by Congress. 

Based on the discretion of a district judge, a case deemed simple or routine may be transferred to a magistrate or county judge. Magistrate or local judges are not appointed, but rather hired. That being said, these judges may be fired by the district judge of the particular jurisdiction. District judges will utilize magistrate or local judges to help manage the workload of the district court. The underlying duties and responsibilities of the judges will shift where appropriate depending on the particular case.

Appeal process of the District Court:

Cases brought and subsequently reviewed by the district court may be appealed to the United States court of appeals or in the appropriate Federal circuit. In some exceptions, the appeal process may go straight to the United States Supreme Court. 

For an individual to practice law in a district court, a legal professional or attorney may only need to have passed the Bar Exam of the State in which the district is located. In addition to this basic requirement, all legal professionals are required to submit an application and partake in the oath process instituted by the particular district court. 

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