Federal Court Finder Help Definitions
The information on this page defines search filters in the Federal Court Finder and provides links to any relevant information.
Closest Districts
When searching by location, this filter lists the federal judicial district that serves the location you're searching, and the federal judicial districts closest to that district, organized within the circuit the federal judicial district is a part of. The 94 federal judicial districts are organized into 12 regional circuits, each of which has a court of appeals.
View a map of the circuit breakdown.
Court Type
Filter your search results by these court types to help narrow down which court location can best help you.
- U.S. Courts of Appeals - These courts hear challenges to district court decisions from courts located within its circuit. Learn more about the courts of appeals.
- U.S. District Courts - These courts, known as the trial courts, resolve disputes by determining the facts and applying legal principles to decide who is right. Learn more about district courts.
- U.S. Bankruptcy Courts - These courts handle all bankruptcy matters. Learn more about bankruptcy courts.
- Probation and Pretrial Services Offices - Each federal judicial district has probation and pretrial services officers who assist the district courts with investigating and supervising people charged with or convicted of federal crimes. Learn more about probation and pretrial services.
- Federal Defender Organizations - Each federal judicial district has a federal public defender or community defender organization. These attorneys represent those facing serious criminal prosecutions as specified in the Sixth Amendment. Learn more about federal defender organizations.