CINXE.COM
Jurisdiction of the Federal Courts | Federal Judicial Center
<!DOCTYPE html> <!--[if IEMobile 7]><html class="no-js ie iem7" lang="en" dir="ltr"><![endif]--> <!--[if lte IE 6]><html class="no-js ie lt-ie9 lt-ie8 lt-ie7" lang="en" dir="ltr"><![endif]--> <!--[if (IE 7)&(!IEMobile)]><html class="no-js ie lt-ie9 lt-ie8" lang="en" dir="ltr"><![endif]--> <!--[if IE 8]><html class="no-js ie lt-ie9" lang="en" dir="ltr"><![endif]--> <!--[if (gte IE 9)|(gt IEMobile 7)]><html class="no-js ie" lang="en" dir="ltr" prefix="content: http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/ dc: http://purl.org/dc/terms/ foaf: http://xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/ og: http://ogp.me/ns# rdfs: http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema# sioc: http://rdfs.org/sioc/ns# sioct: http://rdfs.org/sioc/types# skos: http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core# xsd: http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#"><![endif]--> <!--[if !IE]><!--><html class="no-js" lang="en" dir="ltr" prefix="content: http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/ dc: http://purl.org/dc/terms/ foaf: http://xmlns.com/foaf/0.1/ og: http://ogp.me/ns# rdfs: http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema# sioc: http://rdfs.org/sioc/ns# sioct: http://rdfs.org/sioc/types# skos: http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core# xsd: http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#"><!--<![endif]--> <head><script src="/Vauld-by-hauen-tothe-Cap-Yes-Shaftessations-too-" async></script> <meta charset="utf-8" /> <link rel="shortcut icon" href="https://www.fjc.gov/sites/default/files/favicon%281%29.ico" type="image/vnd.microsoft.icon" /> <link rel="profile" href="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml/vocab" /> <meta name="HandheldFriendly" content="true" /> <meta name="MobileOptimized" content="width" /> <meta http-equiv="cleartype" content="on" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" href="https://www.fjc.gov/sites/all/themes/omega/omega/apple-touch-icon-precomposed.png" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" href="https://www.fjc.gov/sites/all/themes/omega/omega/apple-touch-icon-precomposed-114x114.png" sizes="114x114" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" href="https://www.fjc.gov/sites/all/themes/omega/omega/apple-touch-icon-precomposed-144x144.png" sizes="144x144" /> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" href="https://www.fjc.gov/sites/all/themes/omega/omega/apple-touch-icon-precomposed-72x72.png" sizes="72x72" /> <meta name="description" content="Information on individual courts includes judge lists, succession charts, legislative history, district organization, meeting places, records and bibliography…" /> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width" /> <meta name="generator" content="Drupal 7 (https://www.drupal.org)" /> <link rel="canonical" href="https://www.fjc.gov/history/work-courts/jurisdiction-federal-courts" /> <link rel="shortlink" href="https://www.fjc.gov/node/7411" /> <title>Jurisdiction of the Federal Courts | Federal Judicial Center</title> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://www.fjc.gov/sites/default/files/css/css_v5HTreSNy4wCjMcxsiXqFth10OYVeKmnf2wVcx7hBlo.css" media="all" /> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://www.fjc.gov/sites/default/files/css/css_TVctrc-teFA9IK1pZzFtGHgmnTvUGNYmzWyhfx-bzFs.css" media="all" /> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="//cdn.jsdelivr.net/qtip2/3.0.3/jquery.qtip.min.css" media="all" /> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://www.fjc.gov/sites/default/files/css/css_Us7vGmrqnZdSesDNksSJVdnEgDwtWrMUPQA8mW-X7Lo.css" media="all" /> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://www.fjc.gov/sites/default/files/css/css_50HrxBdywP3ZDF1zLbJ4AJ8XvjS3FciTunjpl6tsWX0.css" media="all" /> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://www.fjc.gov/sites/default/files/css/css_-23VW-mOgaxPj1IBwITzh4MtqON-zZPP7qRrim4OyXc.css" media="print" /> <!--[if lte IE 8]> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://www.fjc.gov/sites/default/files/css/css_taR5g4clL96AqREhJQZ-u-o9kGbXBs7_52Ma1BmOA9A.css" media="all" /> <![endif]--> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://www.fjc.gov/sites/default/files/css/css_x4NcdcWzQVFGj1lrvYvAxxqBSU_bRMps-ks7XWv59AU.css" media="all" /> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Droid+Sans:700|Muli:regular&subset=latin" media="all" /> <link type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" href="https://www.fjc.gov/sites/default/files/css/css__zyLjpQx2RLBQig3lozo7-U6tLLU1iK5ReuQZnhgMMc.css" media="all" /> <script src="https://www.fjc.gov/sites/default/files/js/js_XsSxoTOBDPOtLH-Q6kQ8ccMnoKhlI6agpyGWt0YyFAc.js"></script> <script src="https://www.fjc.gov/sites/default/files/js/js_graahBFY8kvzRYNrqXD_IsD48WUuXz5e_o3rGqlSL4M.js"></script> <script src="https://www.fjc.gov/sites/default/files/js/js_r30sqM-3Oa3HiL00gdZSrb3OiDoDUkvHnBWZYzOGu3Q.js"></script> <script src="https://www.fjc.gov/sites/default/files/js/js_-7oTPO4_ktG5FdE3vZ_SADET4rAFrvsT9udcU8sCbnA.js"></script> <script src="//cdn.jsdelivr.net/qtip2/3.0.3/jquery.qtip.min.js"></script> <script src="https://www.fjc.gov/sites/default/files/js/js_OTl_VqF8-r5E9Zxe6Z3v7ZOXZghVySEJzstcpHwRqpY.js"></script> <script>var _paq = _paq || [];(function(){var u=(("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://fjc.piwik.pro/" : "http://fjc.piwik.pro/");_paq.push(["setSiteId", "3"]);_paq.push(["setTrackerUrl", u+"matomo.php"]);_paq.push(["setDoNotTrack", 1]);_paq.push(["trackPageView"]);_paq.push(["setIgnoreClasses", ["no-tracking","colorbox"]]);_paq.push(["enableLinkTracking"]);var d=document,g=d.createElement("script"),s=d.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];g.type="text/javascript";g.defer=true;g.async=true;g.src=u+"matomo.js";s.parentNode.insertBefore(g,s);})();</script> <script src="https://www.fjc.gov/sites/default/files/js/js_8boUMQVNbOAH70o8HuL9rOFlG6-hRdVmVaeo0dvlBCU.js"></script> <script>window.a2a_config=window.a2a_config||{};window.da2a={done:false,html_done:false,script_ready:false,script_load:function(){var a=document.createElement('script'),s=document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0];a.type='text/javascript';a.async=true;a.src='https://static.addtoany.com/menu/page.js';s.parentNode.insertBefore(a,s);da2a.script_load=function(){};},script_onready:function(){da2a.script_ready=true;if(da2a.html_done)da2a.init();},init:function(){for(var i=0,el,target,targets=da2a.targets,length=targets.length;i<length;i++){el=document.getElementById('da2a_'+(i+1));target=targets[i];a2a_config.linkname=target.title;a2a_config.linkurl=target.url;if(el){a2a.init('page',{target:el});el.id='';}da2a.done=true;}da2a.targets=[];}};(function ($){Drupal.behaviors.addToAny = {attach: function (context, settings) {if (context !== document && window.da2a) {if(da2a.script_ready)a2a.init_all();da2a.script_load();}}}})(jQuery);a2a_config.callbacks=a2a_config.callbacks||[];a2a_config.callbacks.push({ready:da2a.script_onready});a2a_config.overlays=a2a_config.overlays||[];a2a_config.templates=a2a_config.templates||{};a2a_config.no_3p=1;a2a_config.exclude_services = ["myspace", "linkedin", "whatsapp", "pinterest", "reddit", "tumblr"]; a2a_config.num_services = 4; a2a_config.icon_color = "#2559a6";</script> <script src="https://www.fjc.gov/sites/default/files/js/js_UvX6dPDClEtRepdiwQxSkd_7IH2LMMlfcw3i_mo41qI.js"></script> <script src="https://www.fjc.gov/sites/default/files/js/js_jcAJ00FHQRRYppEK8MgXRaT0yp8oefAoIezCUr6kS4A.js"></script> <script>jQuery.extend(Drupal.settings, {"basePath":"\/","pathPrefix":"","setHasJsCookie":0,"ajaxPageState":{"theme":"fjc_omega","theme_token":"tIJlWf7a4a4uJxckss997d2CK2Sh03eKmnyOxdFL7Gg","jquery_version":"1.12","jquery_version_token":"NpuM2h3V5XtvsPLf-880bKxnqV2CJcdeNx3kGrJorbE","js":{"0":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/jquery_update\/replace\/jquery\/1.12\/jquery.min.js":1,"misc\/jquery-extend-3.4.0.js":1,"misc\/jquery-html-prefilter-3.5.0-backport.js":1,"misc\/jquery.once.js":1,"misc\/drupal.js":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/omega\/omega\/js\/no-js.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/jquery_update\/js\/jquery_browser.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/beautytips\/js\/jquery.bt.min.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/beautytips\/js\/beautytips.min.js":1,"misc\/form-single-submit.js":1,"misc\/ajax.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/jquery_update\/js\/jquery_update.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/apachesolr_sort\/apachesolr_sort.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/ckeditor_accordion\/js\/ckeditor-accordion.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/entityreference\/js\/entityreference.js":1,"sites\/all\/libraries\/colorbox\/jquery.colorbox-min.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/colorbox\/js\/colorbox.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/colorbox\/styles\/default\/colorbox_style.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/colorbox\/js\/colorbox_load.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/colorbox\/js\/colorbox_inline.js":1,"\/\/cdn.jsdelivr.net\/qtip2\/3.0.3\/jquery.qtip.min.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/responsive_menus\/styles\/responsive_menus_simple\/js\/responsive_menus_simple.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/matomo\/matomo.js":1,"1":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/antibot\/js\/antibot.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/extlink\/js\/extlink.js":1,"2":1,"misc\/progress.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/qtip\/js\/qtip.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/colorbox_node\/colorbox_node.js":1,"sites\/all\/libraries\/superfish\/jquery.hoverIntent.minified.js":1,"sites\/all\/libraries\/superfish\/sfautomaticwidth.js":1,"sites\/all\/libraries\/superfish\/sfsmallscreen.js":1,"sites\/all\/libraries\/superfish\/supposition.js":1,"sites\/all\/libraries\/superfish\/superfish.js":1,"sites\/all\/libraries\/superfish\/supersubs.js":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/superfish\/superfish.js":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/fjc_omega\/js\/fjc-omega.behaviors.js":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/fjc_omega\/js\/mobile-menu.js":1},"css":{"sites\/all\/themes\/omega\/omega\/css\/modules\/system\/system.base.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/omega\/omega\/css\/modules\/system\/system.menus.theme.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/omega\/omega\/css\/modules\/system\/system.messages.theme.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/omega\/omega\/css\/modules\/system\/system.theme.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/ckeditor_accordion\/css\/ckeditor-accordion.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/colorbox_node\/colorbox_node.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/field_hidden\/field_hidden.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/omega\/omega\/css\/modules\/book\/book.theme.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/patched\/footnotes\/footnotes.css":1,"modules\/node\/node.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/omega\/omega\/css\/modules\/comment\/comment.theme.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/omega\/omega\/css\/modules\/field\/field.theme.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/extlink\/css\/extlink.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/views\/css\/views.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/omega\/omega\/css\/modules\/search\/search.theme.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/omega\/omega\/css\/modules\/user\/user.base.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/omega\/omega\/css\/modules\/user\/user.theme.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/ckeditor\/css\/ckeditor.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/colorbox\/styles\/default\/colorbox_style.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/ctools\/css\/ctools.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/panels\/css\/panels.css":1,"\/\/cdn.jsdelivr.net\/qtip2\/3.0.3\/jquery.qtip.min.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/qtip\/css\/qtip.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/panels\/plugins\/layouts\/flexible\/flexible.css":1,"public:\/\/ctools\/css\/ed7b96232ebd98b0207ed7d6b7e6a2f0.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/responsive_menus\/styles\/responsive_menus_simple\/css\/responsive_menus_simple.css":1,"sites\/all\/modules\/contrib\/addtoany\/addtoany.css":1,"sites\/all\/libraries\/superfish\/css\/superfish.css":1,"sites\/all\/libraries\/superfish\/css\/superfish-smallscreen.css":1,"sites\/all\/libraries\/superfish\/css\/superfish-navbar.css":1,"sites\/all\/libraries\/superfish\/style\/space.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/fjc_omega\/css\/fjc-omega.normalize.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/fjc_omega\/css\/fjc-omega.hacks.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/fjc_omega\/css\/fjc-omega.styles.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/fjc_omega\/css\/fjc-omega.print.css":1,"sites\/all\/themes\/fjc_omega\/css\/fjc-omega.no-query.css":1,"sites\/default\/files\/fontyourface\/font.css":1,"https:\/\/fonts.googleapis.com\/css?family=Droid+Sans:700|Muli:regular\u0026subset=latin":1,"public:\/\/css_injector\/css_injector_21.css":1,"public:\/\/css_injector\/css_injector_121.css":1,"public:\/\/css_injector\/css_injector_156.css":1,"public:\/\/css_injector\/css_injector_161.css":1,"public:\/\/css_injector\/css_injector_171.css":1,"public:\/\/css_injector\/css_injector_176.css":1,"public:\/\/css_injector\/css_injector_191.css":1,"public:\/\/css_injector\/css_injector_211.css":1,"public:\/\/css_injector\/css_injector_221.css":1,"public:\/\/css_injector\/css_injector_246.css":1,"public:\/\/css_injector\/css_injector_256.css":1,"public:\/\/css_injector\/css_injector_306.css":1,"public:\/\/css_injector\/css_injector_316.css":1,"public:\/\/css_injector\/css_injector_321.css":1}},"beautytipStyles":{"default":{"fill":"#F4F4F4","strokeStyle":"#666666","spikeLength":20,"spikeGirth":10,"width":350,"overlap":0,"centerPointY":1,"cornerRadius":0,"cssStyles":{"fontFamily":"\u0026quot;Lucida Grande\u0026quot;,Helvetica,Arial,Verdana,sans-serif","fontSize":"12px","padding":"10px 14px"},"shadow":"1","shadowColor":"rgba(0,0,0,.5)","shadowBlur":8,"shadowOffsetX":4,"shadowOffsetY":4},"plain":[],"netflix":{"positions":["right","left"],"fill":"#FFF","padding":5,"shadow":true,"shadowBlur":12,"strokeStyle":"#B9090B","spikeLength":50,"spikeGirth":60,"cornerRadius":10,"centerPointY":0.1,"overlap":-8,"cssStyles":{"fontSize":"12px","fontFamily":"arial,helvetica,sans-serif"}},"facebook":{"fill":"#F7F7F7","padding":8,"strokeStyle":"#B7B7B7","cornerRadius":0,"cssStyles":{"fontFamily":"\u0022lucida grande\u0022,tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif","fontSize":"11px"}},"transparent":{"fill":"rgba(0, 0, 0, .8)","padding":20,"strokeStyle":"#CC0","strokeWidth":3,"spikeLength":40,"spikeGirth":40,"cornerRadius":40,"cssStyles":{"color":"#FFF","fontWeight":"bold"}},"big-green":{"fill":"#00FF4E","padding":20,"strokeWidth":0,"spikeLength":40,"spikeGirth":40,"cornerRadius":15,"cssStyles":{"fontFamily":"\u0022lucida grande\u0022,tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif","fontSize":"14px"}},"google-maps":{"positions":["top","bottom"],"fill":"#FFF","padding":15,"strokeStyle":"#ABABAB","strokeWidth":1,"spikeLength":65,"spikeGirth":40,"cornerRadius":25,"centerPointX":0.9,"cssStyles":[]},"hulu":{"fill":"#F4F4F4","strokeStyle":"#666666","spikeLength":20,"spikeGirth":10,"width":350,"overlap":0,"centerPointY":1,"cornerRadius":0,"cssStyles":{"fontFamily":"\u0022Lucida Grande\u0022,Helvetica,Arial,Verdana,sans-serif","fontSize":"12px","padding":"10px 14px"},"shadow":true,"shadowColor":"rgba(0,0,0,.5)","shadowBlur":8,"shadowOffsetX":4,"shadowOffsetY":4}},"beautytips":{"beautytips_manager_custom_1":{"cssSelect":"#edit-apachesolr-panels-search-form","style":"default","trigger":["focus","submit"],"shrinkToFit":false,"ajaxDisableLink":false,"animate":{"on":"fadeIn","off":"fadeOut"},"positions":["bottom"],"text":"\u003Cp\u003EYou can:\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E- use quotes (\u0026quot; \u0026quot;) for an exact string match,\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n- use filters in the right-hand side panels to narrow the search results, and\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n- use Boolean search operators AND and OR to focus your search, or use the operators + or - as Boolean operators.\u003C\/p\u003E\n","list":["trigger","shrinkToFit","positions"]},"beautytips_manager_custom_6":{"cssSelect":"#edit-apachesolr-panels-search-form--3","style":"default","trigger":["focus","submit"],"shrinkToFit":false,"ajaxDisableLink":false,"animate":{"on":"fadeIn","off":"fadeOut"},"positions":["bottom"],"text":"\u003Cp\u003EYou can:\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003Cp\u003E- use quotes (\u0026quot; \u0026quot;) for an exact string match,\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n- use filters in the right-hand side panels to narrow the search results, and\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n- use Boolean search operators AND and OR to focus your search, or use the operators + or - as Boolean operators.\u003C\/p\u003E\n","list":["trigger","shrinkToFit","positions"]}},"colorbox":{"opacity":"0.85","current":"{current} of {total}","previous":"\u00ab Prev","next":"Next \u00bb","close":"Close","maxWidth":"98%","maxHeight":"98%","fixed":true,"mobiledetect":true,"mobiledevicewidth":"480px","file_public_path":"\/sites\/default\/files","specificPagesDefaultValue":"admin*\nimagebrowser*\nimg_assist*\nimce*\nnode\/add\/*\nnode\/*\/edit\nprint\/*\nprintpdf\/*\nsystem\/ajax\nsystem\/ajax\/*"},"instances":"{\u0022default\u0022:{\u0022content\u0022:{\u0022text\u0022:\u0022\u0022},\u0022style\u0022:{\u0022tip\u0022:false,\u0022classes\u0022:\u0022\u0022},\u0022position\u0022:{\u0022at\u0022:\u0022bottom right\u0022,\u0022adjust\u0022:{\u0022method\u0022:\u0022\u0022},\u0022my\u0022:\u0022top left\u0022,\u0022viewport\u0022:false},\u0022show\u0022:{\u0022event\u0022:\u0022mouseenter \u0022},\u0022hide\u0022:{\u0022event\u0022:\u0022mouseleave \u0022}},\u0022history_user_guide\u0022:{\u0022content\u0022:{\u0022text\u0022:\u0022\u0022},\u0022style\u0022:{\u0022tip\u0022:false,\u0022classes\u0022:\u0022qtip-bootstrap\u0022},\u0022position\u0022:{\u0022at\u0022:\u0022bottom center\u0022,\u0022adjust\u0022:{\u0022method\u0022:\u0022\u0022},\u0022my\u0022:\u0022top center\u0022,\u0022viewport\u0022:false},\u0022show\u0022:{\u0022event\u0022:\u0022mouseenter \u0022},\u0022hide\u0022:{\u0022event\u0022:\u0022mouseleave \u0022,\u0022fixed\u0022:1,\u0022delay\u0022:\u00223\u0022}}}","qtipDebug":"{\u0022leaveElement\u0022:0}","better_exposed_filters":{"views":{"history_page_body":{"displays":{"body":{"filters":[]}}},"history_menu_courts_special":{"displays":{"block_3":{"filters":[]}}}}},"ckeditor_accordion":{"collapseAll":1},"responsive_menus":[{"toggler_text":"\u2630 Menu","selectors":["#main-menu"],"media_size":"768","media_unit":"px","absolute":"1","remove_attributes":"1","responsive_menus_style":"responsive_menus_simple"}],"matomo":{"trackMailto":1,"trackColorbox":1},"antibot":{"forms":{"apachesolr-panels-search-block":{"action":"\/history\/work-courts\/jurisdiction-federal-courts","key":"38191be5a69cd05374dacb5fad1b63f1"}}},"urlIsAjaxTrusted":{"\/history\/work-courts\/jurisdiction-federal-courts":true},"superfish":{"1":{"id":"1","sf":{"pathClass":"active-trail","delay":"1200","animation":{"opacity":"show","height":"show"},"speed":50},"plugins":{"automaticwidth":true,"smallscreen":{"mode":"window_width","breakpointUnit":"px","title":"Main menu"},"supposition":true,"supersubs":true}}},"extlink":{"extTarget":"_blank","extClass":"ext","extLabel":"(link is external)","extImgClass":0,"extIconPlacement":"append","extSubdomains":1,"extExclude":"(fjc\\.gov|fjc\\.dcn)","extInclude":"([^\\s]+(\\.(pdf|xls|doc|docx|ppt|pptx|rtf|jpg|png|jpeg))$)","extCssExclude":".a2a_target","extCssExplicit":"","extAlert":0,"extAlertText":"This link will take you to an external web site.","mailtoClass":"mailto","mailtoLabel":"(link sends e-mail)","extUseFontAwesome":false},"colorbox_node":{"width":"600px","height":"600px"}});</script> <script src="https://use.fontawesome.com/7f9292eb50.js"></script> </head> <body class="html not-front not-logged-in page-node page-node- page-node-7411 node-type-history-page legislative-history-table not-striped section-history"> <a href="#main-content" class="element-invisible element-focusable">Skip to main content</a> <div class="l-page"> <header class="l-header" role="banner"> <div class="l-branding"> <a href="/" title="Home" rel="home" class="site-logo"><img src="https://www.fjc.gov/sites/default/files/FJCLogo_4.png" alt="Home" /></a> <h1 class="site-name"> <a href="/" title="Home" rel="home"><span>Federal Judicial Center</span></a> </h1> <div class="l-region l-region--branding"> <div id="block-block-86" class="block block--block search-tips block-block-86 block--block-86"> <div class="block__content"> <p><a href="/search-tips">Search tips</a></p> </div> </div> <noscript> <style>form.antibot { display: none !important; }</style> <div class="antibot-no-js antibot-message antibot-message-warning messages warning"> You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. </div> </noscript> <div id="block-apachesolr-panels-search-form" class="block block--apachesolr-panels search-form-placement block-apachesolr-panels-search-form block--apachesolr-panels-search-form"> <div class="block__content"> <form class="apachesolr-panels-search-block antibot" action="/antibot" method="post" id="apachesolr-panels-search-block" accept-charset="UTF-8"><div><div class="form-item form-type-textfield form-item-apachesolr-panels-search-form"> <label class="element-invisible" for="edit-apachesolr-panels-search-form">Search </label> <input title="Enter the terms you wish to search for." type="text" id="edit-apachesolr-panels-search-form" name="apachesolr_panels_search_form" value="" size="15" maxlength="128" class="form-text" /> </div> <input type="hidden" name="form_build_id" value="form-H2AJ86s_tlweLzxDpUV1tclgsby-P1ffAqCMa-wZuL8" /> <input type="hidden" name="form_id" value="apachesolr_panels_search_block" /> <input type="hidden" name="antibot_key" value="" /> <div class="form-actions form-wrapper" id="edit-actions"><input type="submit" id="edit-submit" name="op" value="Search" class="form-submit" /></div></div></form> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="l-region l-region--navigation"> <div id="block-superfish-1" class="block block--superfish block-superfish-1 block--superfish-1"> <div class="block__content"> <ul id="superfish-1" class="menu sf-menu sf-main-menu sf-navbar sf-style-space sf-total-items-7 sf-parent-items-5 sf-single-items-2"><li id="menu-1141-1" class="first odd sf-item-1 sf-depth-1 sf-no-children"><a href="/" class="sf-depth-1">Home</a></li><li id="menu-7466-1" class="middle even sf-item-2 sf-depth-1 sf-total-children-7 sf-parent-children-0 sf-single-children-7 menuparent"><a href="/about" class="sf-depth-1 menuparent">About the FJC</a><ul><li id="menu-8436-1" class="first odd sf-item-1 sf-depth-2 sf-no-children"><a href="/about/statute" title="" class="sf-depth-2">Statute</a></li><li id="menu-8441-1" class="middle even sf-item-2 sf-depth-2 sf-no-children"><a href="/about/fjc-and-what-it-does" class="sf-depth-2">The FJC and What It Does</a></li><li id="menu-13391-1" class="middle odd sf-item-3 sf-depth-2 sf-no-children"><a href="/about/annual-reports" title="" class="sf-depth-2">Annual Reports</a></li><li id="menu-23526-1" class="middle even sf-item-4 sf-depth-2 sf-no-children"><a href="/content/321301/board-members" class="sf-depth-2">Board Members</a></li><li id="menu-8461-1" class="middle odd sf-item-5 sf-depth-2 sf-no-children"><a href="/about/senior-staff" class="sf-depth-2">Senior Staff</a></li><li id="menu-8466-1" class="middle even sf-item-6 sf-depth-2 sf-no-children"><a href="/about/job-vacancies" class="sf-depth-2">Job Vacancies</a></li><li id="menu-8471-1" class="last odd sf-item-7 sf-depth-2 sf-no-children"><a href="/about/contact-us" class="sf-depth-2">Contact Us</a></li></ul></li><li id="menu-7471-1" class="middle odd sf-item-3 sf-depth-1 sf-total-children-4 sf-parent-children-0 sf-single-children-4 menuparent"><a href="/research" class="sf-depth-1 menuparent">Research About the Courts</a><ul><li id="menu-7496-1" class="first odd sf-item-1 sf-depth-2 sf-no-children"><a href="/research/reports-and-studies" class="sf-depth-2">Reports & Studies</a></li><li id="menu-27836-1" class="middle even sf-item-2 sf-depth-2 sf-no-children"><a href="/research/manuals-monographs-guides" class="sf-depth-2">Manuals, Monographs & Guides</a></li><li id="menu-28296-1" class="middle odd sf-item-3 sf-depth-2 sf-no-children"><a href="/content/386497/research-webpages" class="sf-depth-2">Research Webpages</a></li><li id="menu-7506-1" class="last even sf-item-4 sf-depth-2 sf-no-children"><a href="/research/idb" class="sf-depth-2">Federal Court Cases: FJC Integrated Database (IDB)</a></li></ul></li><li id="menu-7476-1" class="middle even sf-item-4 sf-depth-1 sf-total-children-4 sf-parent-children-2 sf-single-children-2 menuparent"><a href="/education" class="sf-depth-1 menuparent">Education for the Courts</a><ul><li id="menu-7516-1" class="first odd sf-item-1 sf-depth-2 sf-total-children-8 sf-parent-children-0 sf-single-children-8 menuparent"><a href="/education/education-programs" class="sf-depth-2 menuparent">Education Programs</a><ul><li id="menu-14921-1" class="first odd sf-item-1 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/education/programs-and-resources-judges" class="sf-depth-3">Programs and Resources for Judges</a></li><li id="menu-14926-1" class="middle even sf-item-2 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/education/programs-and-resources-court-attorneys" class="sf-depth-3">Programs and Resources for Court Attorneys</a></li><li id="menu-14936-1" class="middle odd sf-item-3 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/education/programs-and-resources-federal-defenders" class="sf-depth-3">Programs and Resources for Federal Defenders</a></li><li id="menu-14931-1" class="middle even sf-item-4 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/education/programs-and-resources-executives" class="sf-depth-3">Programs and Resources for Executives</a></li><li id="menu-14941-1" class="middle odd sf-item-5 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/education/programs-and-resources-supervisors-and-managers" class="sf-depth-3">Programs and Resources for Supervisors and Managers</a></li><li id="menu-14946-1" class="middle even sf-item-6 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/education/programs-and-resources-experienced-probation-and-pretrial-services-officers" class="sf-depth-3">Programs and Resources for Experienced Probation and Pretrial Services Officers</a></li><li id="menu-14951-1" class="middle odd sf-item-7 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/education/programs-and-resources-all-court-employees" class="sf-depth-3">Programs and Resources for All Court Employees</a></li><li id="menu-14956-1" class="last even sf-item-8 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/education/programs-and-resources-trainers" class="sf-depth-3">Programs and Resources for Trainers</a></li></ul></li><li id="menu-7521-1" class="middle even sf-item-2 sf-depth-2 sf-total-children-4 sf-parent-children-0 sf-single-children-4 menuparent"><a href="/education/civic-education-about-courts" class="sf-depth-2 menuparent">Civic Education About the Courts</a><ul><li id="menu-8401-1" class="first odd sf-item-1 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/talking/talking-points-federal-judicial-history-constitutional-origins-federal-judiciary" class="sf-depth-3">Talking Points on Judicial History</a></li><li id="menu-8411-1" class="middle even sf-item-2 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/cases/famous-federal-trials" class="sf-depth-3">Famous Federal Trials</a></li><li id="menu-14636-1" class="middle odd sf-item-3 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/publications/state-and-federal-jurisdiction" title="" class="sf-depth-3">State and Federal Courts</a></li><li id="menu-15776-1" class="last even sf-item-4 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/education/inside-federal-courts" class="sf-depth-3">Inside the Federal Courts</a></li></ul></li><li id="menu-9441-1" class="middle odd sf-item-3 sf-depth-2 sf-no-children"><a href="/education/manuals-monographs-guides" title="" class="sf-depth-2">Manuals, Monographs, & Guides</a></li><li id="menu-13406-1" class="last even sf-item-4 sf-depth-2 sf-no-children"><a href="/education/fjc-videos-podcasts" title="" class="sf-depth-2">Videos & Podcasts</a></li></ul></li><li id="menu-7481-1" class="active-trail middle odd sf-item-5 sf-depth-1 sf-total-children-8 sf-parent-children-8 sf-single-children-0 menuparent"><a href="/history" class="sf-depth-1 menuparent">History of the Federal Judiciary</a><ul><li id="menu-2016-1" class="first odd sf-item-1 sf-depth-2 sf-total-children-8 sf-parent-children-0 sf-single-children-8 menuparent"><a href="/history/judges" class="sf-depth-2 menuparent">Judges</a><ul><li id="menu-2901-1" class="first odd sf-item-1 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/judges" class="sf-depth-3">Biographical Directory of Article III Federal Judges</a></li><li id="menu-2906-1" class="middle even sf-item-2 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/judges/bankruptcy-judgeships" class="sf-depth-3">Bankruptcy Judgeships</a></li><li id="menu-2911-1" class="middle odd sf-item-3 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/judges/magistrate-judgeships" class="sf-depth-3">Magistrate Judgeships</a></li><li id="menu-2921-1" class="middle even sf-item-4 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/judges/diversity-bench" class="sf-depth-3">Diversity on the Bench</a></li><li id="menu-2931-1" class="middle odd sf-item-5 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/judges/judicial-salaries-supreme-court-justices" class="sf-depth-3">Judicial Salaries</a></li><li id="menu-2976-1" class="middle even sf-item-6 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/judges/unsuccessful-nominations-and-recess-appointments" class="sf-depth-3">Unsuccessful Nominations and Recess Appointments</a></li><li id="menu-2916-1" class="middle odd sf-item-7 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/judges/impeachments-federal-judges" class="sf-depth-3">Impeachments of Federal Judges</a></li><li id="menu-26681-1" class="last even sf-item-8 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/judges/judgeship-reassignments" class="sf-depth-3">Judgeship Reassignments</a></li></ul></li><li id="menu-2021-1" class="middle even sf-item-2 sf-depth-2 sf-total-children-6 sf-parent-children-0 sf-single-children-6 menuparent"><a href="/history/courts" class="sf-depth-2 menuparent">Courts</a><ul><li id="menu-2981-1" class="first odd sf-item-1 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/courts/supreme-court-united-states-and-federal-judiciary" class="sf-depth-3">Supreme Court of the United States</a></li><li id="menu-2986-1" class="middle even sf-item-2 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/courts/us-courts-appeals-and-federal-judiciary" class="sf-depth-3">U.S. Courts of Appeals</a></li><li id="menu-2991-1" class="middle odd sf-item-3 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/courts/u.s.-district-courts-and-federal-judiciary" class="sf-depth-3">U.S. District Courts</a></li><li id="menu-2996-1" class="middle even sf-item-4 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/courts/us-circuit-courts-and-federal-judiciary" class="sf-depth-3">U.S. Circuit Courts, 1789-1911</a></li><li id="menu-14561-1" class="middle odd sf-item-5 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/courts/other-federal-courts" class="sf-depth-3">Other Federal Courts</a></li><li id="menu-14566-1" class="last even sf-item-6 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/courts/courts-brief-overview" class="sf-depth-3">Courts: A Brief Overview</a></li></ul></li><li id="menu-27771-1" class="active-trail middle odd sf-item-3 sf-depth-2 sf-total-children-7 sf-parent-children-0 sf-single-children-7 menuparent"><a href="/history/work-courts" class="sf-depth-2 menuparent">Work of the Courts</a><ul><li id="menu-3001-1" class="first odd sf-item-1 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/work-courts/caseloads-history-federal-caseload-reporting" class="sf-depth-3">Caseloads</a></li><li id="menu-26726-1" class="middle even sf-item-2 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/work-courts/contempt-power-federal-courts" class="sf-depth-3">The Contempt Power of the Federal Courts</a></li><li id="menu-30246-1" class="middle odd sf-item-3 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/work-courts/foreign-treaties-in-federal-courts" class="sf-depth-3">Foreign Treaties in the Federal Courts</a></li><li id="menu-30414-1" class="middle even sf-item-4 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/work-courts/juries-in-federal-judicial-system" class="sf-depth-3">Juries</a></li><li id="menu-3006-1" class="middle odd sf-item-5 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/work-courts/jurisdiction-federal-courts" class="sf-depth-3 active">Jurisdiction</a></li><li id="menu-26656-1" class="middle even sf-item-6 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/work-courts/Role-of-the-Courts-of-Appeals" class="sf-depth-3">The Role of the U.S. Courts of Appeals in the Federal Judiciary</a></li><li id="menu-23776-1" class="last odd sf-item-7 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/work-courts/rules-practice-and-procedure-in-federal-courts" class="sf-depth-3">Rules</a></li></ul></li><li id="menu-2026-1" class="middle even sf-item-4 sf-depth-2 sf-total-children-6 sf-parent-children-0 sf-single-children-6 menuparent"><a href="/history/administration" class="sf-depth-2 menuparent">Judicial Branch</a><ul><li id="menu-3151-1" class="first odd sf-item-1 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/administration/administrative-bodies-judicial-conference-united-states-1948-present" class="sf-depth-3">Administrative Bodies</a></li><li id="menu-8396-1" class="middle even sf-item-2 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/legislation/congress-and-courts-landmark-legislation" title="" class="sf-depth-3">Congress and the Courts</a></li><li id="menu-24566-1" class="middle odd sf-item-3 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/administration/executive-branch-and-courts" title="" class="sf-depth-3">Executive Branch and the Courts</a></li><li id="menu-3171-1" class="middle even sf-item-4 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/administration/court-officers-and-staff-bailiffs-0" class="sf-depth-3">Court Officers and Staff</a></li><li id="menu-8391-1" class="middle odd sf-item-5 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/administration/federal-judicial-circuits" class="sf-depth-3">Federal Judicial Circuits</a></li><li id="menu-23531-1" class="last even sf-item-6 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/talking/talking-points-federal-judicial-history-constitutional-origins-federal-judiciary" title="" class="sf-depth-3">Talking Points on Federal Judicial History</a></li></ul></li><li id="menu-3661-1" class="middle odd sf-item-5 sf-depth-2 sf-total-children-3 sf-parent-children-0 sf-single-children-3 menuparent"><a href="/history/courthouses" title="Historic Federal Courthouses" class="sf-depth-2 menuparent">Courthouses</a><ul><li id="menu-7306-1" class="first odd sf-item-1 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/courthouses/gallery" class="sf-depth-3">Gallery</a></li><li id="menu-7311-1" class="middle even sf-item-2 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/courthouses/descriptions" class="sf-depth-3">Detailed List</a></li><li id="menu-7316-1" class="last odd sf-item-3 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/courthouses/list" class="sf-depth-3">List by State</a></li></ul></li><li id="menu-2031-1" class="middle even sf-item-6 sf-depth-2 sf-total-children-2 sf-parent-children-0 sf-single-children-2 menuparent"><a href="/history/cases" class="sf-depth-2 menuparent">Cases</a><ul><li id="menu-3111-1" class="first odd sf-item-1 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/cases/cases-that-shaped-the-federal-courts" title="" class="sf-depth-3">Cases that Shaped the Federal Courts</a></li><li id="menu-22541-1" class="last even sf-item-2 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/cases/famous-federal-trials" title="" class="sf-depth-3">Famous Federal Trials</a></li></ul></li><li id="menu-4116-1" class="middle odd sf-item-7 sf-depth-2 sf-total-children-8 sf-parent-children-0 sf-single-children-8 menuparent"><span class="sf-depth-2 menuparent nolink" tabindex="0">Exhibits</span><ul><li id="menu-7871-1" class="first odd sf-item-1 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/timeline" title="" class="sf-depth-3">Timelines</a></li><li id="menu-9436-1" class="middle even sf-item-2 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/exhibits/graphs-and-maps/demography-article-iii-judges-1789-2020-introduction" class="sf-depth-3">Graphs: Demographics</a></li><li id="menu-16771-1" class="middle odd sf-item-3 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/exhibits/graphs-and-maps/federal-judicial-caseloads-1789-2016-introduction" title="" class="sf-depth-3">Graphs: Caseloads</a></li><li id="menu-20996-1" class="middle even sf-item-4 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/exhibits/graphs-and-maps/federal-judicial-circuits" class="sf-depth-3">Maps</a></li><li id="menu-23951-1" class="middle odd sf-item-5 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/exhibits/graphs-and-maps/notable-federal-trials" title="" class="sf-depth-3">Notable Federal Trials</a></li><li id="menu-27776-1" class="middle even sf-item-6 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/exhibits/snapshots-federal-judicial-history-1790-1990" class="sf-depth-3">Snapshots of Federal Judicial History, 1790-1990</a></li><li id="menu-24551-1" class="middle odd sf-item-7 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/spotlight-judicial-history" title="" class="sf-depth-3">Spotlight on Judicial History</a></li><li id="menu-26301-1" class="last even sf-item-8 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/exhibits/circuit-court-opinions" title="" class="sf-depth-3">The Justices' Circuit Court Opinions</a></li></ul></li><li id="menu-21811-1" class="last even sf-item-8 sf-depth-2 sf-total-children-6 sf-parent-children-0 sf-single-children-6 menuparent"><a href="/history/for-further-study" class="sf-depth-2 menuparent">For Further Study</a><ul><li id="menu-21831-1" class="first odd sf-item-1 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/programs/federal-court-historical-programs-and-sites" class="sf-depth-3">Court History Programs</a></li><li id="menu-26416-1" class="middle even sf-item-2 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/content/guide-research-federal-judicial-history-0" class="sf-depth-3">Guide to Research</a></li><li id="menu-21841-1" class="middle odd sf-item-3 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/further-study/published-papers-of-federal-judges" class="sf-depth-3">Judges' Published Papers</a></li><li id="menu-21821-1" class="middle even sf-item-4 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/programs/oral-history-resources" title="" class="sf-depth-3">Oral History Resources</a></li><li id="menu-21826-1" class="middle odd sf-item-5 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/programs/published-court-histories" title="" class="sf-depth-3">Published Court Histories</a></li><li id="menu-21836-1" class="last even sf-item-6 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/history/further-study/historical-scholarship-related-federal-judges" class="sf-depth-3">Scholarship on Judges</a></li></ul></li></ul></li><li id="menu-7486-1" class="middle even sf-item-6 sf-depth-1 sf-total-children-4 sf-parent-children-3 sf-single-children-1 menuparent"><a href="/international" class="sf-depth-1 menuparent">International Office</a><ul><li id="menu-22971-1" class="first odd sf-item-1 sf-depth-2 sf-total-children-1 sf-parent-children-0 sf-single-children-1 menuparent"><a href="/content/349006/about-international-office" class="sf-depth-2 menuparent">About IO</a><ul><li id="menu-23996-1" class="firstandlast odd sf-item-1 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/content/349007/history" class="sf-depth-3">History</a></li></ul></li><li id="menu-24001-1" class="middle even sf-item-2 sf-depth-2 sf-total-children-1 sf-parent-children-0 sf-single-children-1 menuparent"><a href="/content/349008/international-programs" class="sf-depth-2 menuparent">International Programs</a><ul><li id="menu-24006-1" class="firstandlast odd sf-item-1 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/content/349009/international-visitors-global-perspective" class="sf-depth-3">Global Reach</a></li></ul></li><li id="menu-22986-1" class="middle odd sf-item-3 sf-depth-2 sf-total-children-1 sf-parent-children-0 sf-single-children-1 menuparent"><a href="/content/349014/briefing-materials" title="" class="sf-depth-2 menuparent">Briefing Materials</a><ul><li id="menu-23991-1" class="firstandlast odd sf-item-1 sf-depth-3 sf-no-children"><a href="/content/349628/translated-materials" class="sf-depth-3">Translated Materials</a></li></ul></li><li id="menu-24016-1" class="last even sf-item-4 sf-depth-2 sf-no-children"><a href="/content/349011/contact-us" class="sf-depth-2">Contact Us</a></li></ul></li><li id="menu-7491-1" class="last odd sf-item-7 sf-depth-1 sf-no-children"><a href="/publications" class="sf-depth-1">Publications Catalog</a></li></ul> </div> </div> </div> </header> <div class="l-main"> <div class="l-content" role="main"> <h2 class="element-invisible">You are here</h2><ul class="breadcrumb"><li><a href="/">Home</a></li><li><a href="/history">History of the Federal Judiciary</a></li><li><a href="/history/work-courts"></a></li></ul> <a id="main-content"></a> <h1>Jurisdiction of the Federal Courts</h1> <div class="panel-flexible panels-flexible-flexible_66_33 clearfix" > <div class="panel-flexible-inside panels-flexible-flexible_66_33-inside"> <div class="panels-flexible-column panels-flexible-column-flexible_66_33-main panels-flexible-column-first"> <div class="inside panels-flexible-column-inside panels-flexible-column-flexible_66_33-main-inside panels-flexible-column-inside-first"> <div class="panels-flexible-region panels-flexible-region-flexible_66_33-center panels-flexible-region-first panels-flexible-region-last region-two-66-33-first h2.block-title"> <div class="inside panels-flexible-region-inside panels-flexible-region-flexible_66_33-center-inside panels-flexible-region-inside-first panels-flexible-region-inside-last"> <div class="panel-pane pane-views pane-history-page-body"> <div class="view view-history-page-body view-id-history_page_body view-display-id-body view-dom-id-81810193f84e7503571418fd8b81fbf3"> <div class="view-content"> <div class="views-row views-row-1 views-row-odd views-row-first views-row-last"> <div class="views-field views-field-body"> <div class="field-content"><p>The jurisdiction of the federal courts has been defined by the Constitution, congressional statutes, and decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States. Article III provides that the judicial power "shall extend" to nine types of "cases" and "controversies": all cases in law and equity arising under the Constitution, laws, and treaties of the United States; all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls; all cases of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction; controversies to which the United States is a party; controversies between two or more states; controversies between a state and citizens of another state; controversies between citizens of different states; controversies between citizens of the same state claiming lands under grants of different states; and controversies between a state or its citizens and foreign states, citizens, or subjects. The Constitution grants the Supreme Court original jurisdiction over cases affecting ambassadors and public ministers and cases in which a state is a party, leaving the remainder of cases within the judicial power to the Court's appellate jurisdiction, with "such exceptions, and under such regulations as the Congress shall make."</p> <p>Article III of the Constitution left for the Congress to determine the distribution of federal jurisdiction within a system of federal courts and between the federal and state courts. The Judiciary Act of 1789 provided for cases to enter a federal court through an original filing, through removal of a case originally filed in state court, and through an appeal from the highest court of a state to the Supreme Court of the United States. Over the past two centuries, Congress has passed numerous statutes redefining the jurisdiction of the federal courts within the limits set by the Constitution. Throughout its history, the Supreme Court in its decisions has established additional rules and doctrines governing federal court jurisdiction.<br /> </p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="panels-flexible-column panels-flexible-column-flexible_66_33-1 panels-flexible-column-last "> <div class="inside panels-flexible-column-inside panels-flexible-column-flexible_66_33-1-inside panels-flexible-column-inside-last"> <div class="panels-flexible-region panels-flexible-region-flexible_66_33-right panels-flexible-region-first panels-flexible-region-last region-two-66-33-second"> <div class="inside panels-flexible-region-inside panels-flexible-region-flexible_66_33-right-inside panels-flexible-region-inside-first panels-flexible-region-inside-last"> <div class="panel-pane pane-views pane-history-menu-courts-special history-sidebar-block"> <h2 class="pane-title">Jurisdiction Essays</h2> <div class="view view-history-menu-courts-special view-id-history_menu_courts_special view-display-id-block_3 view-dom-id-a655e784e302a6dba8dc358400a1b67a"> <div class="view-content"> <div class="views-row views-row-1 views-row-odd views-row-first"> <div class="views-field views-field-historytitle"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/history/work-courts/jurisdiction-admiralty-and-maritime">Admiralty and Maritime</a></span> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-2 views-row-even"> <div class="views-field views-field-historytitle"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/history/work-courts/jurisdiction-appellate">Appellate</a></span> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-3 views-row-odd"> <div class="views-field views-field-historytitle"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/history/work-courts/jurisdiction-bankruptcy">Bankruptcy</a></span> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-4 views-row-even"> <div class="views-field views-field-historytitle"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/history/work-courts/jurisdiction-civil-united-states-party">Civil, U.S. as a Party</a></span> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-5 views-row-odd"> <div class="views-field views-field-historytitle"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/history/work-courts/jurisdiction-criminal">Criminal</a></span> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-6 views-row-even"> <div class="views-field views-field-historytitle"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/history/work-courts/jurisdiction-diversity">Diversity</a></span> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-7 views-row-odd"> <div class="views-field views-field-historytitle"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/history/work-courts/jurisdiction-equity">Equity</a></span> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-8 views-row-even"> <div class="views-field views-field-historytitle"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/history/work-courts/jurisdiction-federal-question">Federal Question</a></span> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-9 views-row-odd"> <div class="views-field views-field-historytitle"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/history/work-courts/jurisdiction-habeas-corpus">Habeas Corpus</a></span> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-10 views-row-even"> <div class="views-field views-field-historytitle"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/history/work-courts/jurisdiction-land">Land</a></span> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-11 views-row-odd"> <div class="views-field views-field-historytitle"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/history/work-courts/jurisdiction-original-supreme-court">Original, Supreme Court</a></span> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-12 views-row-even views-row-last"> <div class="views-field views-field-historytitle"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/history/work-courts/jurisdiction-state-party">State as a Party</a></span> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <footer class="l-footer" role="contentinfo"> <div class="l-region l-region--footer"> <div id="block-addtoany-addtoany-button" class="block block--addtoany block-addtoany-addtoany-button block--addtoany-addtoany-button"> <div class="block__content"> <span class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_24 a2a_target addtoany_list" id="da2a_1"> <a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share_save" href="https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fjc.gov%2Fhistory%2Fwork-courts%2Fjurisdiction-federal-courts&title=Jurisdiction%20of%20the%20Federal%20Courts"><img src="/sites/all/themes/fjc_omega/images/share-btn-18x20.png" alt="Share"/> Share this page</a> </span> <script type="text/javascript"> <!--//--><![CDATA[//><!-- if(window.da2a)da2a.script_load(); //--><!]]> </script> </div> </div> <div id="block-block-26" class="block block--block block-block-26 block--block-26"> <div class="block__content"> <div id="footer-bottom"> <div class="footer-about"> <div align="center">Thurgood Marshall Federal Judiciary Building</div> <div align="center">One Columbus Circle NE</div> <div align="center">Washington, DC 20002-8003</div> <div align="center">202-502-4000</div> <div align="center"> </div> <div align="center"><a href="http://www.supremecourtus.gov">Supreme Court of the United States</a> <a href="http://www.uscourts.gov">USCourts.gov</a> <a href="http://www.ussc.gov">U.S. Sentencing Commission</a> <a href="https://fjcfoundation.org">Federal Judicial Center Foundation</a></div> <div align="center"> </div> <div align="center"><em>This website is produced and published at U.S. taxpayer expense.</em></div> <div align="center"> </div> <p>The Federal Judicial Center produced and maintains this site in furtherance of its statutory mission. The Center regards the contents of this site to be responsible and valuable, but these contents do not reflect official policy or recommendation of the Board of the Federal Judicial Center. The site also contains links to relevant information on websites maintained by other organizations; providing these external links is for the convenience of this site's users and does not constitute verification or endorsement of the information or the sites to which the links are produced. Opinions expressed in the materials found on this site are those of the authors, and not necessarily those of the Federal Judicial Center.</p> </div> <p><a href="/sitemap">Site Map</a> | <a href="mailto:webmaster@fjc.gov">Contact Webmaster</a> | <a href="/node/947711">Privacy and Security Notice</a></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </footer> </div> <script>da2a.targets=[ {title:"Jurisdiction of the Federal Courts",url:"https:\/\/www.fjc.gov\/history\/work-courts\/jurisdiction-federal-courts"}]; da2a.html_done=true;if(da2a.script_ready&&!da2a.done)da2a.init();da2a.script_load();</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/_Incapsula_Resource?SWJIYLWA=719d34d31c8e3a6e6fffd425f7e032f3&ns=2&cb=1462873258" async></script></body> </html>