United States federal courts

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U.S. Federal Courts
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General jurisdiction courts
Supreme Court of the United States
U.S. Courts of Appeal
Federal district courts
U.S. territorial courts
Subject-matter jurisdiction
Bankruptcy courts
Court of Federal Claims
Armed Forces
Veterans Claims
Tax Court
International Trade
Intelligence Surveillance
Federal judges
Federal judiciary
Federal vacancies


The United States federal courts are the system of courts organized under the United States Constitution and federal law. The federal courts decide disputes involving the Constitution and laws passed by Congress.

Altogether, there are nearly 1,770 judgeships authorized across the 209 courts in the federal court system. About half of the judges sitting on federal courts are appointed by the president of the United States for life terms. The remaining judges are selected by judges sitting on circuit or district courts for terms of defined lengths. For a list of judges nominated by the current president, click here. To learn more about how federal judges are selected, click here.

The map below shows the geography of the federal court system. Clicking on a district will take you directly to that court's page. Clicking on one of the numbered dots will take you to the corresponding circuit court page.


Courts

The sections below detail the different courts within the federal court structure. There are five types of courts outlined here: the Supreme Court of the United States, circuit courts, district courts, bankruptcy courts, and courts of specific subject-matter jurisdiction.

Supreme Court

See also: Supreme Court of the United States and SCOTUS case reversal rates (2007 - Present)

The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the nation and leads the judicial branch of the federal government. Its rulings are final and cannot be appealed to any other court. Its rulings are used as precedent by other courts in the country.

When the U.S. Supreme Court is asked to review a case, a petition for a writ of certiorari must be filed within 90 days of a lower court’s ruling. Each term, approximately 7,000 to 8,000 new petitions are filed with the U.S. Supreme Court. During its weekly conference–a private meeting of the justices–the court reviews petitions and decides whether or not to grant certiorari. The court accepts and hears arguments in about 80 cases per term and settles 100 or more cases without hearing arguments. Granting certiorari requires affirmative votes from four justices.[1][2]

This page covers cases that were granted certiorari by SCOTUS for appellate review of a lower court’s ruling and cases that came to the court under its original jurisdiction, where the court considers the case without it having first been passed on by a lower court. Original jurisdiction cases typically involve disputes between two states.

The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued opinions in 60 cases during its October 2022 term. In this count, we included one case, Arizona v. Mayorkas, that was de-calendared and remanded to the lower court where SCOTUS instructed that it be dismissed as moot, and one case, Securities and Exchange Commission v. Cochran, that was consolidated when the opinion was released. SCOTUS reversed 42 lower court decisions (70 percent) and affirmed 17. This term's reversal rate was 1.3 percentage points lower than the average rate of reversal since 2007 (71.3 percent). Fourteen of the October 2022 term cases originated in the Ninth Circuit, the most from any circuit (including state courts). The Ninth Circuit had 11 cases reversed and three cases affirmed.

Since 2007, the Ninth Circuit had a reversal rate of 80.3 percent. That is the highest reversal rate, with the Sixth Circuit (80.0 percent) coming in second. Of the Article III circuits—the ordinal circuits, the D.C. Circuit, and the Federal Circuit—the court with the lowest rate of overturned decisions is the First Circuit at 60 percent.

Since 2007, SCOTUS has released opinions in 1,188 cases. Of those, it reversed a lower court decision 847 times (71.3 percent) while affirming a lower court decision 332 times (27.9 percent). In that time period, SCOTUS has decided more cases originating from the Ninth Circuit (233) than from any other circuit. The next-most is the Fifth Circuit, which had 95 decisions. During that span, SCOTUS overturned a greater number and percentage of cases originating from the Ninth Circuit (187, or 80.3 percent).

The Supreme Court hears and reaches decisions in an average of 74.3 cases each year. There are a number of major decisions SCOTUS can make—affirm a lower court's ruling, reverse it, affirm in part, and reverse in part. This data only examines when a court affirms or reverses a lower court's decision. The vast majority of SCOTUS cases originate in a lower court—either one of the 13 appeals circuits, state-level courts, or U.S. district courts. Original jurisdiction cases cannot be considered affirmed or reversed since SCOTUS is the first and only court that rules in the case.

This page compiles statistics going back to 2007 because that is the earliest year reliable data on cases by circuit is available on SCOTUSblog. If you know of earlier datasets that we could include here, please contact us.

Total data

Below is the total data ranging from 2007 to present listed by the circuit where the case originated. It also contains data from state courts, U.S. district courts, and original jurisdiction cases. Information from 2007 to 2021 was compiled from end-of-term data gathered by SCOTUSblog.[3] Information from 2022 was compiled from our Supreme Court cases, October term 2022-2023 page, sourced directly from the court.

SCOTUS decisions by circuit (2007 - Present)
Court Decided Affirmed Reversed Percent Reversed
First Circuit 35 14 21 60%
Second Circuit 88 30 58 65.9%
Third Circuit 54 17 37 68.5%
Fourth Circuit 57 22 35 61.4%
Fifth Circuit 95 25 70 73.7%
Sixth Circuit 85 17 68 80.0%
Seventh Circuit 53 20 33 62.3%
Eighth Circuit 52 12 40 76.9%
Ninth Circuit 233 46 187 80.3%
Tenth Circuit 44 16 28 63.6%
Eleventh Circuit 78 26 52 66.7%
D.C. Circuit 50 16 34 68.0%
Federal Circuit 61 19 42 68.9%
Armed Forces 3 2 1 33.3%
State Court 160 38 122 76.3%
U.S. District Court 27 9 18 66.7%
Original Jurisdiction 13 3 1 N/A
Total 1,188 332 847 71.3%

Data by term

Click on the tabs below to see decision data for each individual term. Terms generally run from the October of that year to the June of the following year. The 2017 term, for example, took place from October 2017 to June 2018. However, in rare cases, the term runs into July. The 2019 term, for example, ran from October 2019 to July 2020.

2022

See also: Supreme Court cases, October term 2022-2023

The court's 2022 term ran from October 2022 to June 2023. It decided 60 cases, reversing a lower court in 42 (70 percent) of them. The Ninth Circuit originated the most cases decided this term (14), and was also the circuit overturned the most times (11). Three circuits—the 4th, 10th, and the D.C. Circuit—had all their decisions reversed.

SCOTUS decisions by circuit, 2022
Court Decided Affirmed Reversed Percent Reversed
First Circuit 3 1 2 66.7%
Second Circuit 7 2 5 71.4%
Third Circuit 2 1 1 50.0%
Fourth Circuit 3 0 3 100.0%
Fifth Circuit 8 1 7 87.5%
Sixth Circuit 4 2 2 50.0%
Seventh Circuit 2 1 1 50.0%
Eighth Circuit 3 1 2 66.7%
Ninth Circuit 14 3 11 78.6%
Tenth Circuit 2 0 2 100.0%
Eleventh Circuit 1 1 0 0.0%
D.C. Circuit 1 0 1 100.0%
Federal Circuit 2 2 0 0.0%
Armed Forces 0 0 0 0%
State Court 5 1 4 80.0%
U.S. District Court 1 1 0 0.0%
Original Jurisdiction 2 0 1 50.0%
Total 60 17 42 70%


2021

See also: Supreme Court cases, October term 2021-2022

The court's 2021 term ran from October 2021 to June 2022. It decided 66 cases, reversing a lower court in 54 (81.8 percent) of them. The 9th Circuit originated the most cases decided this term (12), and was also the circuit overturned the most times (12). Six circuits—the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 8th, 9th, and D.C. Circuit—had all their decisions reversed, as did all the state courts.

SCOTUS decisions by circuit, 2021
Court Decided Affirmed Reversed Percent Reversed
First Circuit 5 0 5 100.0%
Second Circuit 5 0 5 100.0%
Third Circuit 1 0 1 100.0%
Fourth Circuit 3 1 2 66.7%
Fifth Circuit 8 1 7 87.5%
Sixth Circuit 7 1 6 85.7%
Seventh Circuit 3 2 1 33.3%
Eighth Circuit 2 0 2 100.0%
Ninth Circuit 12 0 12 100.0%
Tenth Circuit 3 1 2 66.7%
Eleventh Circuit 4 3 1 25.0%
D.C. Circuit 2 0 2 100.0%
Federal Circuit 1 1 0 0%
Armed Forces 0 0 0 0%
State Court 5 0 5 100.0%
U.S. District Court 4 1 3 75.0%
Original Jurisdiction 1 1 N/A N/A
Total 66 12 54 81.8%

2020

See also: Supreme Court cases, October term 2020-2021

The court's 2020 term ran from October 2020 to July 2021. It decided 69 cases, reversing a lower court in 55 (79.7 percent) of them. The 9th Circuit originated the most cases decided this term (16), and was also the circuit overturned the most times (15). Seven circuits, the 1st, 4th, 6th, 7th, 10th, D.C. Circuit, and the Federal Circuit had all of their decisions reversed.

SCOTUS decisions by circuit, 2020
Court Decided Affirmed Reversed Percent Reversed
First Circuit 1 0 1 100.0%
Second Circuit 3 1 2 66.7%
Third Circuit 6 2 4 66.7%
Fourth Circuit 3 0 3 100.0%
Fifth Circuit 7 2 5 71.4%
Sixth Circuit 5 0 5 100.0%
Seventh Circuit 1 0 1 100.0%
Eighth Circuit 4 1 3 75.0%
Ninth Circuit 16 1 15 93.8%
Tenth Circuit 3 0 3 100.0%
Eleventh Circuit 5 2 3 60.0%
D.C. Circuit 4 0 4 100.0%
Federal Circuit 3 0 3 100.0%
Armed Forces 1 0 1 100.0%
State Court 4 3 1 25.0%
U.S. District Court 1 0 1 100.0%
Original Jurisdiction 2 N/A N/A N/A
Total 69 14 55 79.7%

2019

See also: Supreme Court cases, October term 2019-2020

The court's 2019 term ran from October 2019 to July 2020. It decided 69 cases, reversing a lower court in 46 (66.7 percent) of them. The 9th Circuit originated the most cases decided this term (10), and was also the circuit overturned the most times (9). Two circuits, the 1st and 7th, had all of their decisions reversed (one decision each).

SCOTUS decisions by circuit, 2019
Court Decided Affirmed Reversed Percent Reversed
First Circuit 1 0 1 100.0%
Second Circuit 8 2 6 75.0%
Third Circuit 4 2 2 50.0%
Fourth Circuit 4 3 1 25.0%
Fifth Circuit 7 1 6 85.7%
Sixth Circuit 3 3 0 0%
Seventh Circuit 1 0 1 100.0%
Eighth Circuit 1 1 0 0%
Ninth Circuit 10 1 9 90.0%
Tenth Circuit 4 2 2 58.3%
Eleventh Circuit 7 3 4 57.1%
D.C. Circuit 4 1 3 62.8%
Federal Circuit 4 1 3 75.0%
Armed Forces 0 0 0 0%
State Court 11 3 8 72.7%
U.S. District Court 0 0 0 0%
Original Jurisdiction 0 N/A N/A N/A
Total 69 23 46 66.7%

2018

The court's 2018 term ran from October 2018 to June 2019. It decided 74 cases, reversing a lower court in 47 (63.5 percent) of them. The Ninth Circuit originated the most cases decided this term (14), and was also the circuit overturned the most times (12). One circuit, the Seventh (one), had all of its decisions reversed.

SCOTUS decisions by circuit, 2018
Court Decided Affirmed Reversed Percent Reversed
First Circuit 2 1 1 50.0%
Second Circuit 5 2 3 60.0%
Third Circuit 3 1 2 66.7%
Fourth Circuit 4 2 2 50.0%
Fifth Circuit 4 2 2 50.0%
Sixth Circuit 7 4 3 42.9%
Seventh Circuit 1 0 1 100%
Eighth Circuit 4 1 3 75.0%
Ninth Circuit 14 2 12 85.7%
Tenth Circuit 2 1 1 50.0%
Eleventh Circuit 7 4 3 42.9%
D.C. Circuit 3 2 1 33.3%
Federal Circuit 4 2 2 50.0%
Armed Forces 0 0 0 0%
State Court 11 2 9 82.0%
U.S. District Court 3 1 2 66.7%
Original Jurisdiction 0 N/A N/A N/A
Total 74 27 47 63.5%

2017

The court's 2017 term ran from October 2017 to June 2018. It decided 74 cases, reversing a lower court in 52 (70.3 percent) of them. The Ninth Circuit originated the most cases decided this term (15), and was also the circuit overturned the most times (12). Three circuits, the First (one), Third (three), and Sixth (four), had all of their decisions reversed.

SCOTUS decisions by circuit, 2017
Court Decided Affirmed Reversed Percent Reversed
First Circuit 1 0 1 100%
Second Circuit 4 2 2 50.0%
Third Circuit 3 0 3 100%
Fourth Circuit 0 0 0 0%
Fifth Circuit 4 1 3 75.0%
Sixth Circuit 4 0 4 100%
Seventh Circuit 7 3 4 57.1%
Eighth Circuit 3 1 2 66.7%
Ninth Circuit 15 3 12 80.0%
Tenth Circuit 3 2 1 33.3%
Eleventh Circuit 6 1 5 83.3%
D.C. Circuit 5 1 4 80.0%
Federal Circuit 3 1 2 66.7%
Armed Forces 1 1 0 0%
State Court 8 2 6 75.0%
U.S. District Court 4 1 3 75.0%
Original Jurisdiction 3 N/A N/A N/A
Total 74 19 52 70.3%

2016

The court's 2016 term ran from October 2016 to June 2017. It decided 71 cases, reversing a lower court in 56 (78.9 percent) of them. The Ninth Circuit originated the most cases decided this term (eight), and was also the circuit overturned the most times (seven). Four circuits, the Third (two), Seventh (two), Eighth (two), and Tenth (three), had all of their decisions reversed.

SCOTUS decisions by circuit, 2016
Court Decided Affirmed Reversed Percent Reversed
First Circuit 1 1 0 0%
Second Circuit 5 1 4 80.0%
Third Circuit 2 0 2 100%
Fourth Circuit 2 1 1 50.0%
Fifth Circuit 4 2 2 50.0%
Sixth Circuit 7 1 6 85.7%
Seventh Circuit 2 0 2 100%
Eighth Circuit 2 0 2 100%
Ninth Circuit 8 1 7 87.5%
Tenth Circuit 3 0 3 100%
Eleventh Circuit 5 2 3 60.0%
D.C. Circuit 3 1 2 66.7%
Federal Circuit 7 1 6 85.7%
Armed Forces 0 0 0 0%
State Court 17 3 14 82.4%
U.S. District Court 3 1 2 66.7%
Original Jurisdiction N/A N/A N/A
Total 71 15 56 78.9%

2015

The court's 2015 term ran from October 2015 to June 2016. It decided 87 cases, reversing a lower court in 55 (63.2 percent) of them. The Ninth Circuit originated the most cases decided this term (11), and was also the circuit overturned the most times (eight). The Eleventh Circuit was the only circuit to have all three of its decisions reversed.

SCOTUS decisions by circuit, 2015
Court Decided Affirmed Reversed Percent Reversed
First Circuit 3 2 1 33.3%
Second Circuit 6 4 2 33.3%
Third Circuit 3 1 2 66.7%
Fourth Circuit 6 3 3 50.0%
Fifth Circuit 9 4 5 55.6%
Sixth Circuit 4 1 3 75.0%
Seventh Circuit 0 0 0 0%
Eighth Circuit 6 4 2 33.3%
Ninth Circuit 11 3 8 72.7%
Tenth Circuit 4 1 3 75.0%
Eleventh Circuit 3 0 3 100%
D.C. Circuit 4 2 2 50.0%
Federal Circuit 4 1 3 75.0%
Armed Forces 0 0 0 0%
State Court 20 3 17 85.0%
U.S. District Court 3 2 1 33.3%
Original Jurisdiction 1 N/A N/A N/A
Total 87 31 55 63.2%

2014

The court's 2014 term ran from October 2014 to June 2015. It decided 75 cases, reversing a lower court in 53 (70.7 percent) of them. The Ninth Circuit originated the most cases decided this term (16), and was also the circuit overturned the most times (10). Four circuits, the Second (one), Third (three), Seventh (three), and Eleventh (five), had all of their decisions reversed.

SCOTUS decisions by circuit, 2014
Court Decided Affirmed Reversed Percent Reversed
First Circuit 1 1 0 0%
Second Circuit 1 0 1 100%
Third Circuit 3 0 3 100%
Fourth Circuit 6 3 3 50.0%
Fifth Circuit 8 2 6 75.0%
Sixth Circuit 5 1 4 80.0%
Seventh Circuit 3 0 3 100%
Eighth Circuit 8 1 7 87.5%
Ninth Circuit 16 6 10 62.5%
Tenth Circuit 4 1 3 75.0%
Eleventh Circuit 5 0 5 100%
D.C. Circuit 4 1 3 75.0%
Federal Circuit 3 1 2 66.7%
Armed Forces 0 0 0 0%
State Court 5 3 2 40.0%
U.S. District Court 2 1 1 50.0%
Original Jurisdiction 1 N/A N/A N/A
Total 75 21 53 70.7%

2013

The court's 2013 term ran from October 2013 to June 2014. It decided 75 cases, reversing a lower court in 55 (73.3 percent) of them. The Ninth Circuit originated the most cases decided this term (12), and was also the circuit overturned the most times (11). Two circuits, the Third (two) and Eighth (two), had all of their decisions reversed.

SCOTUS decisions by circuit, 2013
Court Decided Affirmed Reversed Percent Reversed
First Circuit 4 1 3 75.0%
Second Circuit 5 3 2 40.0%
Third Circuit 2 0 2 100%
Fourth Circuit 2 1 1 50.0%
Fifth Circuit 7 1 6 85.7%
Sixth Circuit 11 2 9 81.8%
Seventh Circuit 4 3 1 25.0%
Eighth Circuit 2 0 2 100%
Ninth Circuit 12 1 11 91.7%
Tenth Circuit 4 2 2 50.0%
Eleventh Circuit 3 1 2 66.7%
D.C. Circuit 4 2 2 50.0%
Federal Circuit 6 1 5 83.3%
Armed Forces 0 0 0 0%
State Court 8 2 6 75.0%
U.S. District Court 1 0 1 100%
Original Jurisdiction 0 N/A N/A N/A
Total 75 20 55 73.3%

2012

The court's 2012 term ran from October 2012 to June 2013. It decided 78 cases, reversing a lower court in 56 (71.8 percent) of them. The Ninth Circuit originated the most cases decided this term (14), and was also the circuit overturned the most times (12). Four circuits, the First (one), Sixth (two), Eighth (two), and Eleventh (six), had all of their decisions reversed.

SCOTUS decisions by circuit, 2012
Court Decided Affirmed Reversed Percent Reversed
First Circuit 1 0 1 100%
Second Circuit 10 4 6 60.0%
Third Circuit 6 1 5 83.3%
Fourth Circuit 5 2 3 60.0%
Fifth Circuit 7 1 6 85.7%
Sixth Circuit 2 0 2 100%
Seventh Circuit 3 2 1 33.3%
Eighth Circuit 2 0 2 100%
Ninth Circuit 14 2 12 85.7%
Tenth Circuit 2 2 0 0%
Eleventh Circuit 6 0 6 100%
D.C. Circuit 3 1 2 66.7%
Federal Circuit 5 2 3 60.0%
Armed Forces 0 0 0 0%
State Court 12 5 7 58.3%
U.S. District Court 0 0 0 0%
Original Jurisdiction 0 N/A N/A N/A
Total 78 22 56 71.8%

2011

The court's 2011 term ran from October 2011 to June 2012. It decided 75 cases, reversing a lower court in 47 (62.7 percent) of them. The Ninth Circuit originated the most cases decided this term (24), and was also the circuit overturned the most times (17). Two circuits, the Second (two) and Sixth (five), had all of their decisions reversed.

SCOTUS decisions by circuit, 2011
Court Decided Affirmed Reversed Percent Reversed
First Circuit 2 1 1 50.0%
Second Circuit 2 0 2 100%
Third Circuit 7 3 4 57.1%
Fourth Circuit 2 2 0 0%
Fifth Circuit 3 3 0 0%
Sixth Circuit 5 0 5 100%
Seventh Circuit 3 1 2 66.7%
Eighth Circuit 0 0 0 0%
Ninth Circuit 24 7 17 70.8%
Tenth Circuit 4 2 2 50.0%
Eleventh Circuit 4 1 3 75.0%
D.C. Circuit 4 3 1 25.0%
Federal Circuit 3 1 2 66.7%
Armed Forces 0 0 0 0%
State Court 11 4 7 63.6%
U.S. District Court 1 0 1 100%
Original Jurisdiction 0 N/A N/A N/A
Total 75 28 47 62.7%

2010

The court's 2010 term ran from October 2010 to June 2011. It decided 82 cases, reversing a lower court in 57 (69.5 percent) of them. The Ninth Circuit originated the most cases decided this term (26), and was also the circuit overturned the most times (19). No circuit had all of its decisions reversed this term.

SCOTUS decisions by circuit, 2010
Court Decided Affirmed Reversed Percent Reversed
First Circuit 2 2 0 0%
Second Circuit 4 1 3 75.0%
Third Circuit 5 2 3 60.0%
Fourth Circuit 4 2 2 50.0%
Fifth Circuit 5 1 4 80.0%
Sixth Circuit 6 1 5 83.3%
Seventh Circuit 5 2 3 60.0%
Eighth Circuit 4 1 3 75.0%
Ninth Circuit 26 7 19 73.1%
Tenth Circuit 0 0 0 0%
Eleventh Circuit 3 1 2 66.7%
D.C. Circuit 0 0 0 0%
Federal Circuit 7 3 4 57.1%
Armed Forces 0 0 0 0%
State Court 9 0 9 100%
U.S. District Court 1 1 0 0%
Original Jurisdiction 1 N/A N/A N/A
Total 82 24 57 69.5%

2009

The court's 2009 term ran from October 2009 to June 2010. It decided 83 cases, reversing a lower court in 59 (71.1 percent) of them. The Ninth Circuit originated the most cases decided this term (15) and was overturned the most times (11). The Fifth Circuit (four), Sixth Circuit (seven), Eighth Circuit (three), and D.C. Circuit (three) were the circuits to have all of their decisions reversed.

SCOTUS decisions by circuit, 2009
Court Decided Affirmed Reversed Percent Reversed
First Circuit 2 1 1 50.0%
Second Circuit 7 1 6 85.7%
Third Circuit 5 3 2 40.0%
Fourth Circuit 5 1 4 80.0%
Fifth Circuit 4 0 4 100%
Sixth Circuit 7 0 7 100%
Seventh Circuit 11 1 10 90.9%
Eighth Circuit 3 0 3 100%
Ninth Circuit 15 4 11 73.3%
Tenth Circuit 2 2 0 0%
Eleventh Circuit 10 2 8 80.0%
D.C. Circuit 3 0 3 100%
Federal Circuit 1 1 0 0%
Armed Forces 0 0 0 0%
State Court 8 1 7 87.5%
U.S. District Court 0 0 0 0%
Original Jurisdiction 0 N/A N/A N/A
Total 83 17 66 79.5%

2008

The court's 2008 term ran from October 2008 to June 2009. It decided 79 cases, reversing a lower court in 60 (76.0 percent) of them. The Ninth Circuit originated the most cases decided this term (16), and was also the circuit overturned the most times (13). Seven circuits had all of their decisions reversed: Fourth (five), Sixth (five), Seventh (one), Eighth (four), Tenth (two), D.C. (one), and Federal (four).

SCOTUS decisions by circuit, 2008
Court Decided Affirmed Reversed Percent Reversed
First Circuit 4 2 2 50.0%
Second Circuit 9 2 7 77.8%
Third Circuit 2 1 1 50.0%
Fourth Circuit 5 0 5 100%
Fifth Circuit 5 2 3 60.0%
Sixth Circuit 5 0 5 100%
Seventh Circuit 1 0 1 100%
Eighth Circuit 4 0 4 100%
Ninth Circuit 16 3 13 81.3%
Tenth Circuit 2 0 2 100%
Eleventh Circuit 3 3 0 0%
D.C. Circuit 1 0 1 100%
Federal Circuit 4 0 4 100%
Armed Forces 1 1 0 0%
State Court 15 4 11 73.3%
U.S. District Court 1 0 1 100%
Original Jurisdiction 1 N/A N/A N/A
Total 79 18 60 76.0%

2007

The court's 2007 term ran from October 2007 to June 2008. It decided 71 cases, reversing a lower court in 46 (64.8 percent) of them. The Ninth Circuit originated the most cases decided this term (10), and was also the circuit overturned the most times (eight). The Tenth Circuit was the only circuit to have all of its decisions (two) reversed.

SCOTUS decisions by circuit, 2007
Court Decided Affirmed Reversed Percent Reversed
First Circuit 2 1 1 50.0%
Second Circuit 7 5 2 28.6%
Third Circuit 0 0 0 0%
Fourth Circuit 3 1 2 66.7%
Fifth Circuit 5 1 4 80.0%
Sixth Circuit 3 1 2 66.7%
Seventh Circuit 6 5 1 16.7%
Eighth Circuit 4 1 3 75.0%
Ninth Circuit 10 2 8 80.0%
Tenth Circuit 2 0 2 100%
Eleventh Circuit 6 2 4 66.7%
D.C. Circuit 5 2 3 60.0%
Federal Circuit 4 1 3 75.0%
Armed Forces 0 0 0 0%
State Court 11 2 9 81.8%
U.S. District Court 2 0 2 100%
Original Jurisdiction 1 N/A N/A N/A
Total 71 24 46 64.8%

The circuits

Not sure what circuit you live in? Check out our map below.

United States Court of Appeals for the 1st CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the 2nd CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the 3rd CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the 4th CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the 6th CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the 7th CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the Fifth CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the Eighth CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the 10th CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the Ninth CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the 1st CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the 3rd CircuitUS Court of Appeals and District Court map.jpg

See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ U.S. Supreme Court, “Court at work,” accessed December 13, 2023
  2. ↑ SCOTUSblog, “Supreme Court Procedure,” accessed December 13, 2023
  3. ↑ SCOTUSblog, "STAT PACK ARCHIVE," November 16, 2023

Since 2007, SCOTUS has released opinions in 1,188 cases. Of those, it reversed a lower court decision 847 times (71.3 percent) while affirming a lower court decision 332 times (27.9 percent). In that time period, SCOTUS has decided more cases originating from the Ninth Circuit (233) than from any other circuit. The next-most is the Fifth Circuit, which had 95 decisions. During that span, SCOTUS overturned a greater number and percentage of cases originating from the Ninth Circuit (187, or 80.3 percent).

Circuit Courts

See also: United States Court of Appeals

The United States Courts of Appeals are the intermediate appellate courts of the nation. There are 16 of these courts. Decisions of the district courts are appealed to the circuit courts, and appeals of circuit court decisions are heard by the Supreme Court of the United States.

Click the links below to view information on each of the courts of appeals.

District Courts

See also: United States district court

The United States District Courts are the trial courts of the federal courts. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of both law and equity. This level of court is composed of 94 different courts. There is at least one judicial district for each state, and one each for Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.

Bankruptcy Courts

See also: United States Bankruptcy Courts

The United States Bankruptcy Courts handle matters of bankruptcy across the nation. The jurisdiction of these courts corresponds with the jurisdiction of the United States District Courts.

Courts of specific subject-matter jurisdiction

There are seven courts of subject-matter jurisdiction in the federal court system. Most of these are Article I tribunals established by the United States Congress. Click here for a summary of these courts. These courts are:

Former courts

Judges

Judges that serve on federal courts can be broken down into two major categories: Article III judges and non-Article III judges. The table below shows the number of judges of each type within the court structure, how they are selected, and how long their term lasts. These figures were last reviewed and updated on January 2, 2024.[1]

Number of federal judgeships (January 1, 2024)
Court Number of judgeships Appointed by Term length
Supreme Court of the United States 9 President Life
United States Court of Appeals 179 President Life
United States District Court 677 President Life
United States Court of International Trade 9 President Life
United States bankruptcy court 345[2] Circuit court judges 14 years
Federal magistrate judge 588[3] District court judges 8 years

Article III judges

Article III judges refer to judges who serve on courts authorized by Article III of the Constitution, which created and enumerated the powers of the judiciary. Those judges are: justices of the Supreme Court, judges of the Circuit Courts of Appeal, judges of the District Courts, and judges of the Court of International Trade. These judges are appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the U.S. Senate before joining the court. These judges serve life terms.[4]

Did you know that only magistrate and bankruptcy judges are required to be lawyers? There is no statutory requirement that Article III judges have any legal training.[4]

Non-Article III judges

Article III judges are not the only ones serving the federal judiciary. Bankruptcy judges and magistrate judges also contribute to case resolution.

Bankruptcy judges serve 14-year renewable terms after being appointed by the judges of the corresponding Circuit Court of Appeal.

Magistrate judges serve eight-year renewable terms and are appointed by a majority vote of active district judges on the court.[5]

Judges by court

Judges by circuit

The table below displays the number of judges in each circuit and indicates how many were appointed by presidents from each major political party. It also includes the number of vacancies on a circuit and how many pending nominations for that circuit are before the United States Senate. The table can be sorted by clicking the column headers above the line. It is updated every Monday.



The map below displays the composition of federal circuit courts by the partisan affiliation of each judge's appointing president. Hover your mouse of the map to see the breakdown of by circuit court. It is updated monthly.





Judges by district

The table below displays the number of judges in each district and indicates how many were appointed by presidents from each major political party. It also includes the number of vacancies in a district and how many pending nominations for that district are before the United States Senate. The table can be sorted by clicking the column headers above the line, and you can navigate through the pages by clicking the arrows at the top of the table. It is updated every Monday.


The federal nomination process

Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:

  • The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
  • The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
  • The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.
  • As part of this process, the committee sends a blue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.
  • After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.
  • If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
  • If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.
  • The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.
  • If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
  • If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.

Role of the other federal branches

Executive branch

The most integral responsibility of the executive branch as pertains to the judiciary is to nominate and appoint judges for service on the federal courts. See this category for a list of every judge appointed by each president throughout U.S. history.

For a list of current vacancies on the federal courts, click here.

The Cabinet-level post of United States Attorney General is the highest-ranking member of the United States Department of Justice. He or she is responsible for the United States attorneys assigned to each judicial district, as well as the assistant United States attorneys serving.

The United States Solicitor General argues cases on behalf of the federal government.

Legislative branch

Senate

The United States Senate is responsible for confirming federal judges following appointment by the president. The Senate Judiciary Committee evaluates nominees and considers federal legislation pertaining to the judicial branch.

Senators are also charged with recommending nominees to the president for appointment to federal courts in their respective states.

House of Representatives

The United States House of Representatives Committee on Judiciary considers and recommends legislation pertaining to the judicial branch.

See also

Ballotpedia Bankruptcy Courts badge.png JP-FVT seal.png College Count-Final 2.png Judicial interest organizations.png

Footnotes

  1. ↑ U.S. Courts, "Vacancy Summary for January 2024," accessed January 2, 2024
  2. ↑ United States Courts, "Status of Bankruptcy Judgeships — Judicial Business 2021," accessed June 3, 2023
  3. ↑ United States Courts, "Status of Magistrate Judge Positions and Appointments — Judicial Business 2021," accessed June 3, 2023
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Federal Judicial Center, "How the Federal Courts are Organized," accessed March 12, 2019
  5. ↑ United States Courts, "FAQs," accessed March 12, 2019
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