federal court

noun

: a court established by a federal government
especially : one established under the constitution and laws of the U.S.

Examples of federal court in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In a report released Friday, Warshaw said the Oakland Police Department had met all 51 benchmarks needed to escape federal court oversight — an achievement never before reached by the department. Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 28 May 2026 The case is set to resume in Miami federal court after the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals sided with government officials and reversed a lower court order requiring the facility’s operations to be shut down. Miami Herald, 27 May 2026 In September, a federal court ordered ICE to improve conditions for detainees there. Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 27 May 2026 The loss is the second setback for Republicans on Tuesday, after a federal court ruled against new maps in Alabama, which would have redrawn one of the two Democratic-leaning districts. Keely Bastow, The Washington Examiner, 26 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for federal court

Word History

First Known Use

1789, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of federal court was in 1789

Cite this Entry

“Federal court.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/federal%20court. Accessed 2 Jun. 2026.

Legal Definition

federal court

noun
: a court established by the federal government and having jurisdiction over questions of federal law
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster