Jurisdiction, Venue, and Forum
Court Structure
Ninety-four districts exercise original jurisdiction over federal questions, diversity cases, and other matters Congress assigns. Cases are assigned to district judges, with magistrate judges handling pretrial matters and consenting parties' trials.
Local rules supplement the federal rules.
Alternative Names:
District Court|United States District Court
Why it Matters?
Local rules and individual judge standing orders control practice details that the federal rules leave open, including summary judgment procedures, discovery dispute resolution, and page limits, and these vary substantially even within a district. Reviewing both before the first filing prevents the procedural errors that draw adverse attention early. Some judges require pre-motion conferences before any dispositive filing.
Frequently Confused with
Related terms
Frequently asked questions
Why review individual judge orders?
What do some judges require?
