district court

noun

: a trial court that has jurisdiction over certain cases within a specific judicial district

Examples of district court in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Blue slip for senators to object While the Republicans represent a narrow minority in the Senate, each senator has the power to veto a president’s nomination for U.S. district court judge in his or her home state by refusing to issue a blue slip for the candidate. —Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 3 June 2024

With the confirmations of the nominees to the federal bench, Mr. Biden will have placed 42 judges on the U.S. courts of appeals, 155 judges on the U.S. district courts and two on the Court of International Trade. —Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 22 May 2024

The march to 200 culminated with the confirmation of Angela Martinez as a district court judge in Arizona. —Seung Min Kim, Twin Cities, 22 May 2024

The case was heard by Judge Amit Mehta in a U.S. district court in Washington, D.C. —Laura Bratton, Quartz, 6 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1789, in the meaning defined above

Legal Definition

district court

noun

often capitalized D&C

: a trial court having general or limited jurisdiction in a judicial district: as

a

: one of the federal trial courts sitting in a federal district

b

: a trial court within a state court system