• U.S. District Courts are the lowest tier of the federal court system.Legal Law Justice image by Stacey Alexander from Fotolia.com
  
  United States district courts provide the first contact most citizens ever have with the federal court system. They are the trial courts of the U.S. federal court system and citizens might be called as witnesses, jurors or have their own civil or criminal case heard in federal court.
  
  District courts have a wide variety of responsibilities. The key responsibilities include conducting trials in criminal and civil cases, hearing bankruptcy proceedings, sentencing those convicted of crimes and issuing arrest and search warrants.
  
  

District Court Information

• The U.S. District Court covers 94 districts with 678 judges in the states and territories of the United States. District court judges are appointed for life by the president and must be approved by the U.S. Senate. District court magistrate judges, appointed for a limited term, handle minor civil and criminal cases and may issue arrest and search warrants. Each district court includes a bankruptcy division limited to processing bankruptcy cases.
  
  

Trials

• The U.S. District Court holds trials in civil an criminal matters when the case involves federal laws or disputes between citizens or corporations across state lines. A district court judge acts as judge and jury in some civil trials. In most civil and all criminal trials, a jury decides the case.
  
  During trials, a judge must decide if evidence should be admitted and whether the evidence in the case is strong enough to allow the jury to reach a verdict. If not, the judge may dismiss a case. A judge declares mistrials when the judge believes an error in the case might prejudice the jury. Judges also make sure attorneys obey court rules while presenting evidence and rules on objections made by either side.
  
  

Bankruptcy Proceedings

• A separate division of each district court processes bankruptcy proceedings. The bankruptcy judge reviews cases, appoints a trustee in each case and occasionally hears the testimony of witnesses in disputed cases. The bankruptcy judge assures fair treatment for debtors and creditors under the law. Bankruptcy courts provide paperwork for individuals seeking to file bankruptcy on their own without hiring a lawyer.
  
  

Other Responsibilities

• District court judges or magistrate judges conduct sentencing hearings for people convicted of crimes. Federal law requires judges to sentence convicts under federal sentencing guidelines. District court judges or magistrate judges issue arrest and search warrants after reviewing complaints or affidavits filed by police officers and deciding if they meet legal requirements. Warrants allowing wiretaps and other electronic surveillance fall within the jurisdiction of federal court judges.