The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia is a federal court. The federal courts are divided into three levels: the United States Supreme Court, the United States Courts of Appeals, and the United States District Courts.
Federal courts only have jurisdiction, or legal authority, to hear certain types of cases. This court is generally authorized to hear disputes that fall into the following four categories:
- Those that deal with a question involving the United States Constitution;
- Those that involve questions of federal law (e.g., interstate commerce, damages at sea, labor laws, environmental matters, agriculture, federal tax matters, etc.);
- Those that involve the United States of America as a party, whether as a plaintiff or defendant; and
- Those that involve a dispute among residents of different states with an amount in controversy exceeding $75,000 (this is referred to as “diversity of citizenship”).
If your complaint does not fall into one of these four categories, the federal court may not be the appropriate venue to pursue your claims.
Appeals from this court go to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and then to the United States Supreme Court.
The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts created the following guides to explain the federal court system:
This information is for procedural guidance only and should not be viewed or used as legal advice.