US court system finder
Select any state to see its federal district courts, circuit court, and state court structure - and understand which court handles what.
How the US court system works
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How to use US court system finder
Enter your figures
Fill in St Sel. Values you change are used straight away, with no submit button.
Read the results
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What this tool does
Federal and state courts for any state
Pick a state and it lists its federal district courts, the circuit court of appeals it falls under, and its state court structure.
Understand which court handles which cases
Each court is described with the kind of case it handles, so you can tell a federal matter from a state one before filing anything.
Free, works offline, nothing uploaded
Free to use with no account, nothing uploaded, and it works with no connection.
Pick a state to begin
The state selector is the whole interface: choose one and the full structure appears underneath.
Runs fully in your browser with no upload and no sign-up
This is general reference information rather than legal advice, and everything is held in the page, so nothing is uploaded.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between federal and state courts?
Federal courts only handle cases involving federal law, the US Constitution, disputes between citizens of different states above $75,000, or cases where the US government is a party. State courts handle everything else - which is the vast majority of all legal cases including most crimes, family law, contracts, property and traffic offences.
How many federal circuits are there?
There are 13 circuits: 11 numbered circuits covering geographic regions, the DC Circuit (covering Washington D.C. and federal agencies), and the Federal Circuit (covering patents, international trade, and federal claims regardless of location).
Why do some states have two federal districts?
Heavily populated states were split into multiple federal judicial districts to manage caseload. California has four districts (Northern, Eastern, Central, Southern), Texas and New York also have four each.
Can a state court case go to the US Supreme Court?
Only if it raises a federal constitutional question. The US Supreme Court has no authority to review purely state-law decisions - only the state supreme court has the final word on its own state's law.
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