United States district court

The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of both law and equity. There is a United States bankruptcy court in each U.S. district court. There is at least one courthouse in each federal judicial district, and some large districts have more than one. The formal name of a district court is, for example, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Extinct district courts

Most extinct district courts have disappeared by being divided into smaller districts. The following courts were subdivided out of existence:

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• U.S. District Court for the District of Alabama
• U.S. District Court for the District of Arkansas
• U.S. District Court for the District of California
• U.S. District Court for the District of Florida
• U.S. District Court for the District of Georgia
• U.S. District Court for the District of Illinois
• U.S. District Court for the District of Indiana
• U.S. District Court for the District of Iowa
• U.S. District Court for the District of Kentucky
• U.S. District Court for the District of Louisiana
• U.S. District Court for the District of Michigan
• U.S. District Court for the District of Mississippi
• U.S. District Court for the District of Missouri
• U.S. District Court for the District of New York
• U.S. District Court for the District of North Carolina
• U.S. District Court for the District of Ohio
• U.S. District Court for the District of Pennsylvania
• U.S. District Court for the District of Texas
• U.S. District Court for the District of Virginia
• U.S. District Court for the District of Washington
• U.S. District Court for the District of West Virginia
• U.S. District Court for the District of Wisconsin

On rare occasions, an extinct district court was extinguished by merging it with other district courts. In every case, this has restored a district court which had been subdivided:

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• Between 1801 and 1802, the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey was divided into the U.S. District Courts for the Districts of East Jersey and West Jersey.
• Between 1794 and 1797, the U.S. District Court for the District of North Carolina was divided into the U.S. District Courts for the Districts of Edenton, New Bern, and Wilmington.
• Between 1911 and 1961, the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina was divided into the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western District of South Carolina.

There are a few additional extinct district courts which don't fall into either of the above two patterns.

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• From 1801 to 1802, the District of Columbia and pieces of Maryland and Virginia formed the U.S. District Court for the District of Potomac, which was the first U.S. district court to cross state lines. During the same period, the U.S. District Court for the District of Norfolk was carved out of another piece of Virginia. Rump U.S. District Courts for the Districts of Maryland and Virginia remained during this brief period.
• From 1801 to 1802, and again from 1802 to 1872, the state of North Carolina was subdivided into the U.S. District Courts for the Districts of Albemarle, Cape Fear, and Pamptico. These courts were extinguished when the state was reorganized into the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of North Carolina.
• The U.S. District Court for the District of Orleans was renamed the U.S. District Court for the District of Louisiana when the Territory of Orleans became the State of Louisiana.
• The U.S. District Court for the Canal Zone was abolished, effective March 31, 1982, as part of the process of returning the Canal Zone to Panama.