United States federal courts
The United States federal courts are the system of courts organized under the United States Constitution and federal law. The federal courts decide disputes involving the Constitution and laws passed by Congress.
Altogether, there are nearly 1,770 judgeships authorized across the 209 courts in the federal court system. About half of the judges sitting on federal courts are appointed by the president of the United States for life terms. The remaining judges are selected by judges sitting on circuit or district courts for terms of defined lengths. For a list of judges nominated by the current president, click here. To learn more about how federal judges are selected, click here.
The map below shows the geography of the federal court system. Clicking on a district will take you directly to that court's page. Clicking on one of the numbered dots will take you to the corresponding circuit court page.
Courts
The sections below detail the different courts within the federal court structure. There are five types of courts outlined here: the Supreme Court of the United States, circuit courts, district courts, bankruptcy courts, and courts of specific subject-matter jurisdiction.
Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial body in the nation and leads the judicial branch of the federal government. Its rulings are final and cannot be appealed to any other court. Its rulings are used as precedent by other courts in the country.
When the U.S. Supreme Court is asked to review a case, a petition for a writ of certiorari must be filed within 90 days of a lower court’s ruling. Each term, approximately 7,000 to 8,000 new petitions are filed with the U.S. Supreme Court. During its weekly conference–a private meeting of the justices–the court reviews petitions and decides whether or not to grant certiorari. The court accepts and hears arguments in about 80 cases per term and settles 100 or more cases without hearing arguments. Granting certiorari requires affirmative votes from four justices.[1][2]
This page covers cases that were granted certiorari by SCOTUS for appellate review of a lower court’s ruling and cases that came to the court under its original jurisdiction, where the court considers the case without it having first been passed on by a lower court. Original jurisdiction cases typically involve disputes between two states.
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) issued opinions in 60 cases during its October 2022 term. In this count, we included one case, Arizona v. Mayorkas, that was de-calendared and remanded to the lower court where SCOTUS instructed that it be dismissed as moot, and one case, Securities and Exchange Commission v. Cochran, that was consolidated when the opinion was released. SCOTUS reversed 42 lower court decisions (70 percent) and affirmed 17. This term's reversal rate was 1.3 percentage points lower than the average rate of reversal since 2007 (71.3 percent). Fourteen of the October 2022 term cases originated in the Ninth Circuit, the most from any circuit (including state courts). The Ninth Circuit had 11 cases reversed and three cases affirmed.
Since 2007, the Ninth Circuit had a reversal rate of 80.3 percent. That is the highest reversal rate, with the Sixth Circuit (80.0 percent) coming in second. Of the Article III circuits—the ordinal circuits, the D.C. Circuit, and the Federal Circuit—the court with the lowest rate of overturned decisions is the First Circuit at 60 percent.
Since 2007, SCOTUS has released opinions in 1,188 cases. Of those, it reversed a lower court decision 847 times (71.3 percent) while affirming a lower court decision 332 times (27.9 percent). In that time period, SCOTUS has decided more cases originating from the Ninth Circuit (233) than from any other circuit. The next-most is the Fifth Circuit, which had 95 decisions. During that span, SCOTUS overturned a greater number and percentage of cases originating from the Ninth Circuit (187, or 80.3 percent).
The Supreme Court hears and reaches decisions in an average of 74.3 cases each year. There are a number of major decisions SCOTUS can make—affirm a lower court's ruling, reverse it, affirm in part, and reverse in part. This data only examines when a court affirms or reverses a lower court's decision. The vast majority of SCOTUS cases originate in a lower court—either one of the 13 appeals circuits, state-level courts, or U.S. district courts. Original jurisdiction cases cannot be considered affirmed or reversed since SCOTUS is the first and only court that rules in the case.
This page compiles statistics going back to 2007 because that is the earliest year reliable data on cases by circuit is available on SCOTUSblog. If you know of earlier datasets that we could include here, please contact us.
Total data
Below is the total data ranging from 2007 to present listed by the circuit where the case originated. It also contains data from state courts, U.S. district courts, and original jurisdiction cases. Information from 2007 to 2021 was compiled from end-of-term data gathered by SCOTUSblog.[3] Information from 2022 was compiled from our Supreme Court cases, October term 2022-2023 page, sourced directly from the court.
SCOTUS decisions by circuit (2007 - Present) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Court | Decided | Affirmed | Reversed | Percent Reversed |
First Circuit | 35 | 14 | 21 | 60% |
Second Circuit | 88 | 30 | 58 | 65.9% |
Third Circuit | 54 | 17 | 37 | 68.5% |
Fourth Circuit | 57 | 22 | 35 | 61.4% |
Fifth Circuit | 95 | 25 | 70 | 73.7% |
Sixth Circuit | 85 | 17 | 68 | 80.0% |
Seventh Circuit | 53 | 20 | 33 | 62.3% |
Eighth Circuit | 52 | 12 | 40 | 76.9% |
Ninth Circuit | 233 | 46 | 187 | 80.3% |
Tenth Circuit | 44 | 16 | 28 | 63.6% |
Eleventh Circuit | 78 | 26 | 52 | 66.7% |
D.C. Circuit | 50 | 16 | 34 | 68.0% |
Federal Circuit | 61 | 19 | 42 | 68.9% |
Armed Forces | 3 | 2 | 1 | 33.3% |
State Court | 160 | 38 | 122 | 76.3% |
U.S. District Court | 27 | 9 | 18 | 66.7% |
Original Jurisdiction | 13 | 3 | 1 | N/A |
Total | 1,188 | 332 | 847 | 71.3% |
Data by term
Click on the tabs below to see decision data for each individual term. Terms generally run from the October of that year to the June of the following year. The 2017 term, for example, took place from October 2017 to June 2018. However, in rare cases, the term runs into July. The 2019 term, for example, ran from October 2019 to July 2020.
2022
The court's 2022 term ran from October 2022 to June 2023. It decided 60 cases, reversing a lower court in 42 (70 percent) of them. The Ninth Circuit originated the most cases decided this term (14), and was also the circuit overturned the most times (11). Three circuits—the 4th, 10th, and the D.C. Circuit—had all their decisions reversed.
SCOTUS decisions by circuit, 2022 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Court | Decided | Affirmed | Reversed | Percent Reversed |
First Circuit | 3 | 1 | 2 | 66.7% |
Second Circuit | 7 | 2 | 5 | 71.4% |
Third Circuit | 2 | 1 | 1 | 50.0% |
Fourth Circuit | 3 | 0 | 3 | 100.0% |
Fifth Circuit | 8 | 1 | 7 | 87.5% |
Sixth Circuit | 4 | 2 | 2 | 50.0% |
Seventh Circuit | 2 | 1 | 1 | 50.0% |
Eighth Circuit | 3 | 1 | 2 | 66.7% |
Ninth Circuit | 14 | 3 | 11 | 78.6% |
Tenth Circuit | 2 | 0 | 2 | 100.0% |
Eleventh Circuit | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
D.C. Circuit | 1 | 0 | 1 | 100.0% |
Federal Circuit | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
Armed Forces | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
State Court | 5 | 1 | 4 | 80.0% |
U.S. District Court | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
Original Jurisdiction | 2 | 0 | 1 | 50.0% |
Total | 60 | 17 | 42 | 70% |
2021
The court's 2021 term ran from October 2021 to June 2022. It decided 66 cases, reversing a lower court in 54 (81.8 percent) of them. The 9th Circuit originated the most cases decided this term (12), and was also the circuit overturned the most times (12). Six circuits—the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 8th, 9th, and D.C. Circuit—had all their decisions reversed, as did all the state courts.
SCOTUS decisions by circuit, 2021 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Court | Decided | Affirmed | Reversed | Percent Reversed |
First Circuit | 5 | 0 | 5 | 100.0% |
Second Circuit | 5 | 0 | 5 | 100.0% |
Third Circuit | 1 | 0 | 1 | 100.0% |
Fourth Circuit | 3 | 1 | 2 | 66.7% |
Fifth Circuit | 8 | 1 | 7 | 87.5% |
Sixth Circuit | 7 | 1 | 6 | 85.7% |
Seventh Circuit | 3 | 2 | 1 | 33.3% |
Eighth Circuit | 2 | 0 | 2 | 100.0% |
Ninth Circuit | 12 | 0 | 12 | 100.0% |
Tenth Circuit | 3 | 1 | 2 | 66.7% |
Eleventh Circuit | 4 | 3 | 1 | 25.0% |
D.C. Circuit | 2 | 0 | 2 | 100.0% |
Federal Circuit | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0% |
Armed Forces | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
State Court | 5 | 0 | 5 | 100.0% |
U.S. District Court | 4 | 1 | 3 | 75.0% |
Original Jurisdiction | 1 | 1 | N/A | N/A |
Total | 66 | 12 | 54 | 81.8% |
2020
The court's 2020 term ran from October 2020 to July 2021. It decided 69 cases, reversing a lower court in 55 (79.7 percent) of them. The 9th Circuit originated the most cases decided this term (16), and was also the circuit overturned the most times (15). Seven circuits, the 1st, 4th, 6th, 7th, 10th, D.C. Circuit, and the Federal Circuit had all of their decisions reversed.
SCOTUS decisions by circuit, 2020 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Court | Decided | Affirmed | Reversed | Percent Reversed |
First Circuit | 1 | 0 | 1 | 100.0% |
Second Circuit | 3 | 1 | 2 | 66.7% |
Third Circuit | 6 | 2 | 4 | 66.7% |
Fourth Circuit | 3 | 0 | 3 | 100.0% |
Fifth Circuit | 7 | 2 | 5 | 71.4% |
Sixth Circuit | 5 | 0 | 5 | 100.0% |
Seventh Circuit | 1 | 0 | 1 | 100.0% |
Eighth Circuit | 4 | 1 | 3 | 75.0% |
Ninth Circuit | 16 | 1 | 15 | 93.8% |
Tenth Circuit | 3 | 0 | 3 | 100.0% |
Eleventh Circuit | 5 | 2 | 3 | 60.0% |
D.C. Circuit | 4 | 0 | 4 | 100.0% |
Federal Circuit | 3 | 0 | 3 | 100.0% |
Armed Forces | 1 | 0 | 1 | 100.0% |
State Court | 4 | 3 | 1 | 25.0% |
U.S. District Court | 1 | 0 | 1 | 100.0% |
Original Jurisdiction | 2 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Total | 69 | 14 | 55 | 79.7% |
2019
The court's 2019 term ran from October 2019 to July 2020. It decided 69 cases, reversing a lower court in 46 (66.7 percent) of them. The 9th Circuit originated the most cases decided this term (10), and was also the circuit overturned the most times (9). Two circuits, the 1st and 7th, had all of their decisions reversed (one decision each).
SCOTUS decisions by circuit, 2019 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Court | Decided | Affirmed | Reversed | Percent Reversed |
First Circuit | 1 | 0 | 1 | 100.0% |
Second Circuit | 8 | 2 | 6 | 75.0% |
Third Circuit | 4 | 2 | 2 | 50.0% |
Fourth Circuit | 4 | 3 | 1 | 25.0% |
Fifth Circuit | 7 | 1 | 6 | 85.7% |
Sixth Circuit | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0% |
Seventh Circuit | 1 | 0 | 1 | 100.0% |
Eighth Circuit | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0% |
Ninth Circuit | 10 | 1 | 9 | 90.0% |
Tenth Circuit | 4 | 2 | 2 | 58.3% |
Eleventh Circuit | 7 | 3 | 4 | 57.1% |
D.C. Circuit | 4 | 1 | 3 | 62.8% |
Federal Circuit | 4 | 1 | 3 | 75.0% |
Armed Forces | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
State Court | 11 | 3 | 8 | 72.7% |
U.S. District Court | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
Original Jurisdiction | 0 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Total | 69 | 23 | 46 | 66.7% |
2018
The court's 2018 term ran from October 2018 to June 2019. It decided 74 cases, reversing a lower court in 47 (63.5 percent) of them. The Ninth Circuit originated the most cases decided this term (14), and was also the circuit overturned the most times (12). One circuit, the Seventh (one), had all of its decisions reversed.
SCOTUS decisions by circuit, 2018 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Court | Decided | Affirmed | Reversed | Percent Reversed |
First Circuit | 2 | 1 | 1 | 50.0% |
Second Circuit | 5 | 2 | 3 | 60.0% |
Third Circuit | 3 | 1 | 2 | 66.7% |
Fourth Circuit | 4 | 2 | 2 | 50.0% |
Fifth Circuit | 4 | 2 | 2 | 50.0% |
Sixth Circuit | 7 | 4 | 3 | 42.9% |
Seventh Circuit | 1 | 0 | 1 | 100% |
Eighth Circuit | 4 | 1 | 3 | 75.0% |
Ninth Circuit | 14 | 2 | 12 | 85.7% |
Tenth Circuit | 2 | 1 | 1 | 50.0% |
Eleventh Circuit | 7 | 4 | 3 | 42.9% |
D.C. Circuit | 3 | 2 | 1 | 33.3% |
Federal Circuit | 4 | 2 | 2 | 50.0% |
Armed Forces | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
State Court | 11 | 2 | 9 | 82.0% |
U.S. District Court | 3 | 1 | 2 | 66.7% |
Original Jurisdiction | 0 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Total | 74 | 27 | 47 | 63.5% |
2017
The court's 2017 term ran from October 2017 to June 2018. It decided 74 cases, reversing a lower court in 52 (70.3 percent) of them. The Ninth Circuit originated the most cases decided this term (15), and was also the circuit overturned the most times (12). Three circuits, the First (one), Third (three), and Sixth (four), had all of their decisions reversed.
SCOTUS decisions by circuit, 2017 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Court | Decided | Affirmed | Reversed | Percent Reversed |
First Circuit | 1 | 0 | 1 | 100% |
Second Circuit | 4 | 2 | 2 | 50.0% |
Third Circuit | 3 | 0 | 3 | 100% |
Fourth Circuit | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
Fifth Circuit | 4 | 1 | 3 | 75.0% |
Sixth Circuit | 4 | 0 | 4 | 100% |
Seventh Circuit | 7 | 3 | 4 | 57.1% |
Eighth Circuit | 3 | 1 | 2 | 66.7% |
Ninth Circuit | 15 | 3 | 12 | 80.0% |
Tenth Circuit | 3 | 2 | 1 | 33.3% |
Eleventh Circuit | 6 | 1 | 5 | 83.3% |
D.C. Circuit | 5 | 1 | 4 | 80.0% |
Federal Circuit | 3 | 1 | 2 | 66.7% |
Armed Forces | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0% |
State Court | 8 | 2 | 6 | 75.0% |
U.S. District Court | 4 | 1 | 3 | 75.0% |
Original Jurisdiction | 3 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Total | 74 | 19 | 52 | 70.3% |
2016
The court's 2016 term ran from October 2016 to June 2017. It decided 71 cases, reversing a lower court in 56 (78.9 percent) of them. The Ninth Circuit originated the most cases decided this term (eight), and was also the circuit overturned the most times (seven). Four circuits, the Third (two), Seventh (two), Eighth (two), and Tenth (three), had all of their decisions reversed.
SCOTUS decisions by circuit, 2016 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Court | Decided | Affirmed | Reversed | Percent Reversed |
First Circuit | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0% |
Second Circuit | 5 | 1 | 4 | 80.0% |
Third Circuit | 2 | 0 | 2 | 100% |
Fourth Circuit | 2 | 1 | 1 | 50.0% |
Fifth Circuit | 4 | 2 | 2 | 50.0% |
Sixth Circuit | 7 | 1 | 6 | 85.7% |
Seventh Circuit | 2 | 0 | 2 | 100% |
Eighth Circuit | 2 | 0 | 2 | 100% |
Ninth Circuit | 8 | 1 | 7 | 87.5% |
Tenth Circuit | 3 | 0 | 3 | 100% |
Eleventh Circuit | 5 | 2 | 3 | 60.0% |
D.C. Circuit | 3 | 1 | 2 | 66.7% |
Federal Circuit | 7 | 1 | 6 | 85.7% |
Armed Forces | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
State Court | 17 | 3 | 14 | 82.4% |
U.S. District Court | 3 | 1 | 2 | 66.7% |
Original Jurisdiction | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
Total | 71 | 15 | 56 | 78.9% |
2015
The court's 2015 term ran from October 2015 to June 2016. It decided 87 cases, reversing a lower court in 55 (63.2 percent) of them. The Ninth Circuit originated the most cases decided this term (11), and was also the circuit overturned the most times (eight). The Eleventh Circuit was the only circuit to have all three of its decisions reversed.
SCOTUS decisions by circuit, 2015 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Court | Decided | Affirmed | Reversed | Percent Reversed |
First Circuit | 3 | 2 | 1 | 33.3% |
Second Circuit | 6 | 4 | 2 | 33.3% |
Third Circuit | 3 | 1 | 2 | 66.7% |
Fourth Circuit | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50.0% |
Fifth Circuit | 9 | 4 | 5 | 55.6% |
Sixth Circuit | 4 | 1 | 3 | 75.0% |
Seventh Circuit | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
Eighth Circuit | 6 | 4 | 2 | 33.3% |
Ninth Circuit | 11 | 3 | 8 | 72.7% |
Tenth Circuit | 4 | 1 | 3 | 75.0% |
Eleventh Circuit | 3 | 0 | 3 | 100% |
D.C. Circuit | 4 | 2 | 2 | 50.0% |
Federal Circuit | 4 | 1 | 3 | 75.0% |
Armed Forces | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
State Court | 20 | 3 | 17 | 85.0% |
U.S. District Court | 3 | 2 | 1 | 33.3% |
Original Jurisdiction | 1 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Total | 87 | 31 | 55 | 63.2% |
2014
The court's 2014 term ran from October 2014 to June 2015. It decided 75 cases, reversing a lower court in 53 (70.7 percent) of them. The Ninth Circuit originated the most cases decided this term (16), and was also the circuit overturned the most times (10). Four circuits, the Second (one), Third (three), Seventh (three), and Eleventh (five), had all of their decisions reversed.
SCOTUS decisions by circuit, 2014 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Court | Decided | Affirmed | Reversed | Percent Reversed |
First Circuit | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0% |
Second Circuit | 1 | 0 | 1 | 100% |
Third Circuit | 3 | 0 | 3 | 100% |
Fourth Circuit | 6 | 3 | 3 | 50.0% |
Fifth Circuit | 8 | 2 | 6 | 75.0% |
Sixth Circuit | 5 | 1 | 4 | 80.0% |
Seventh Circuit | 3 | 0 | 3 | 100% |
Eighth Circuit | 8 | 1 | 7 | 87.5% |
Ninth Circuit | 16 | 6 | 10 | 62.5% |
Tenth Circuit | 4 | 1 | 3 | 75.0% |
Eleventh Circuit | 5 | 0 | 5 | 100% |
D.C. Circuit | 4 | 1 | 3 | 75.0% |
Federal Circuit | 3 | 1 | 2 | 66.7% |
Armed Forces | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
State Court | 5 | 3 | 2 | 40.0% |
U.S. District Court | 2 | 1 | 1 | 50.0% |
Original Jurisdiction | 1 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Total | 75 | 21 | 53 | 70.7% |
2013
The court's 2013 term ran from October 2013 to June 2014. It decided 75 cases, reversing a lower court in 55 (73.3 percent) of them. The Ninth Circuit originated the most cases decided this term (12), and was also the circuit overturned the most times (11). Two circuits, the Third (two) and Eighth (two), had all of their decisions reversed.
SCOTUS decisions by circuit, 2013 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Court | Decided | Affirmed | Reversed | Percent Reversed |
First Circuit | 4 | 1 | 3 | 75.0% |
Second Circuit | 5 | 3 | 2 | 40.0% |
Third Circuit | 2 | 0 | 2 | 100% |
Fourth Circuit | 2 | 1 | 1 | 50.0% |
Fifth Circuit | 7 | 1 | 6 | 85.7% |
Sixth Circuit | 11 | 2 | 9 | 81.8% |
Seventh Circuit | 4 | 3 | 1 | 25.0% |
Eighth Circuit | 2 | 0 | 2 | 100% |
Ninth Circuit | 12 | 1 | 11 | 91.7% |
Tenth Circuit | 4 | 2 | 2 | 50.0% |
Eleventh Circuit | 3 | 1 | 2 | 66.7% |
D.C. Circuit | 4 | 2 | 2 | 50.0% |
Federal Circuit | 6 | 1 | 5 | 83.3% |
Armed Forces | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
State Court | 8 | 2 | 6 | 75.0% |
U.S. District Court | 1 | 0 | 1 | 100% |
Original Jurisdiction | 0 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Total | 75 | 20 | 55 | 73.3% |
2012
The court's 2012 term ran from October 2012 to June 2013. It decided 78 cases, reversing a lower court in 56 (71.8 percent) of them. The Ninth Circuit originated the most cases decided this term (14), and was also the circuit overturned the most times (12). Four circuits, the First (one), Sixth (two), Eighth (two), and Eleventh (six), had all of their decisions reversed.
SCOTUS decisions by circuit, 2012 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Court | Decided | Affirmed | Reversed | Percent Reversed |
First Circuit | 1 | 0 | 1 | 100% |
Second Circuit | 10 | 4 | 6 | 60.0% |
Third Circuit | 6 | 1 | 5 | 83.3% |
Fourth Circuit | 5 | 2 | 3 | 60.0% |
Fifth Circuit | 7 | 1 | 6 | 85.7% |
Sixth Circuit | 2 | 0 | 2 | 100% |
Seventh Circuit | 3 | 2 | 1 | 33.3% |
Eighth Circuit | 2 | 0 | 2 | 100% |
Ninth Circuit | 14 | 2 | 12 | 85.7% |
Tenth Circuit | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0% |
Eleventh Circuit | 6 | 0 | 6 | 100% |
D.C. Circuit | 3 | 1 | 2 | 66.7% |
Federal Circuit | 5 | 2 | 3 | 60.0% |
Armed Forces | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
State Court | 12 | 5 | 7 | 58.3% |
U.S. District Court | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
Original Jurisdiction | 0 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Total | 78 | 22 | 56 | 71.8% |
2011
The court's 2011 term ran from October 2011 to June 2012. It decided 75 cases, reversing a lower court in 47 (62.7 percent) of them. The Ninth Circuit originated the most cases decided this term (24), and was also the circuit overturned the most times (17). Two circuits, the Second (two) and Sixth (five), had all of their decisions reversed.
SCOTUS decisions by circuit, 2011 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Court | Decided | Affirmed | Reversed | Percent Reversed |
First Circuit | 2 | 1 | 1 | 50.0% |
Second Circuit | 2 | 0 | 2 | 100% |
Third Circuit | 7 | 3 | 4 | 57.1% |
Fourth Circuit | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0% |
Fifth Circuit | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0% |
Sixth Circuit | 5 | 0 | 5 | 100% |
Seventh Circuit | 3 | 1 | 2 | 66.7% |
Eighth Circuit | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
Ninth Circuit | 24 | 7 | 17 | 70.8% |
Tenth Circuit | 4 | 2 | 2 | 50.0% |
Eleventh Circuit | 4 | 1 | 3 | 75.0% |
D.C. Circuit | 4 | 3 | 1 | 25.0% |
Federal Circuit | 3 | 1 | 2 | 66.7% |
Armed Forces | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
State Court | 11 | 4 | 7 | 63.6% |
U.S. District Court | 1 | 0 | 1 | 100% |
Original Jurisdiction | 0 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Total | 75 | 28 | 47 | 62.7% |
2010
The court's 2010 term ran from October 2010 to June 2011. It decided 82 cases, reversing a lower court in 57 (69.5 percent) of them. The Ninth Circuit originated the most cases decided this term (26), and was also the circuit overturned the most times (19). No circuit had all of its decisions reversed this term.
SCOTUS decisions by circuit, 2010 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Court | Decided | Affirmed | Reversed | Percent Reversed |
First Circuit | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0% |
Second Circuit | 4 | 1 | 3 | 75.0% |
Third Circuit | 5 | 2 | 3 | 60.0% |
Fourth Circuit | 4 | 2 | 2 | 50.0% |
Fifth Circuit | 5 | 1 | 4 | 80.0% |
Sixth Circuit | 6 | 1 | 5 | 83.3% |
Seventh Circuit | 5 | 2 | 3 | 60.0% |
Eighth Circuit | 4 | 1 | 3 | 75.0% |
Ninth Circuit | 26 | 7 | 19 | 73.1% |
Tenth Circuit | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
Eleventh Circuit | 3 | 1 | 2 | 66.7% |
D.C. Circuit | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
Federal Circuit | 7 | 3 | 4 | 57.1% |
Armed Forces | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
State Court | 9 | 0 | 9 | 100% |
U.S. District Court | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0% |
Original Jurisdiction | 1 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Total | 82 | 24 | 57 | 69.5% |
2009
The court's 2009 term ran from October 2009 to June 2010. It decided 83 cases, reversing a lower court in 59 (71.1 percent) of them. The Ninth Circuit originated the most cases decided this term (15) and was overturned the most times (11). The Fifth Circuit (four), Sixth Circuit (seven), Eighth Circuit (three), and D.C. Circuit (three) were the circuits to have all of their decisions reversed.
SCOTUS decisions by circuit, 2009 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Court | Decided | Affirmed | Reversed | Percent Reversed |
First Circuit | 2 | 1 | 1 | 50.0% |
Second Circuit | 7 | 1 | 6 | 85.7% |
Third Circuit | 5 | 3 | 2 | 40.0% |
Fourth Circuit | 5 | 1 | 4 | 80.0% |
Fifth Circuit | 4 | 0 | 4 | 100% |
Sixth Circuit | 7 | 0 | 7 | 100% |
Seventh Circuit | 11 | 1 | 10 | 90.9% |
Eighth Circuit | 3 | 0 | 3 | 100% |
Ninth Circuit | 15 | 4 | 11 | 73.3% |
Tenth Circuit | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0% |
Eleventh Circuit | 10 | 2 | 8 | 80.0% |
D.C. Circuit | 3 | 0 | 3 | 100% |
Federal Circuit | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0% |
Armed Forces | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
State Court | 8 | 1 | 7 | 87.5% |
U.S. District Court | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
Original Jurisdiction | 0 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Total | 83 | 17 | 66 | 79.5% |
2008
The court's 2008 term ran from October 2008 to June 2009. It decided 79 cases, reversing a lower court in 60 (76.0 percent) of them. The Ninth Circuit originated the most cases decided this term (16), and was also the circuit overturned the most times (13). Seven circuits had all of their decisions reversed: Fourth (five), Sixth (five), Seventh (one), Eighth (four), Tenth (two), D.C. (one), and Federal (four).
SCOTUS decisions by circuit, 2008 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Court | Decided | Affirmed | Reversed | Percent Reversed |
First Circuit | 4 | 2 | 2 | 50.0% |
Second Circuit | 9 | 2 | 7 | 77.8% |
Third Circuit | 2 | 1 | 1 | 50.0% |
Fourth Circuit | 5 | 0 | 5 | 100% |
Fifth Circuit | 5 | 2 | 3 | 60.0% |
Sixth Circuit | 5 | 0 | 5 | 100% |
Seventh Circuit | 1 | 0 | 1 | 100% |
Eighth Circuit | 4 | 0 | 4 | 100% |
Ninth Circuit | 16 | 3 | 13 | 81.3% |
Tenth Circuit | 2 | 0 | 2 | 100% |
Eleventh Circuit | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0% |
D.C. Circuit | 1 | 0 | 1 | 100% |
Federal Circuit | 4 | 0 | 4 | 100% |
Armed Forces | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0% |
State Court | 15 | 4 | 11 | 73.3% |
U.S. District Court | 1 | 0 | 1 | 100% |
Original Jurisdiction | 1 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Total | 79 | 18 | 60 | 76.0% |
2007
The court's 2007 term ran from October 2007 to June 2008. It decided 71 cases, reversing a lower court in 46 (64.8 percent) of them. The Ninth Circuit originated the most cases decided this term (10), and was also the circuit overturned the most times (eight). The Tenth Circuit was the only circuit to have all of its decisions (two) reversed.
SCOTUS decisions by circuit, 2007 | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Court | Decided | Affirmed | Reversed | Percent Reversed |
First Circuit | 2 | 1 | 1 | 50.0% |
Second Circuit | 7 | 5 | 2 | 28.6% |
Third Circuit | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
Fourth Circuit | 3 | 1 | 2 | 66.7% |
Fifth Circuit | 5 | 1 | 4 | 80.0% |
Sixth Circuit | 3 | 1 | 2 | 66.7% |
Seventh Circuit | 6 | 5 | 1 | 16.7% |
Eighth Circuit | 4 | 1 | 3 | 75.0% |
Ninth Circuit | 10 | 2 | 8 | 80.0% |
Tenth Circuit | 2 | 0 | 2 | 100% |
Eleventh Circuit | 6 | 2 | 4 | 66.7% |
D.C. Circuit | 5 | 2 | 3 | 60.0% |
Federal Circuit | 4 | 1 | 3 | 75.0% |
Armed Forces | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% |
State Court | 11 | 2 | 9 | 81.8% |
U.S. District Court | 2 | 0 | 2 | 100% |
Original Jurisdiction | 1 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Total | 71 | 24 | 46 | 64.8% |
The circuits
Not sure what circuit you live in? Check out our map below.
See also
- Supreme Court cases, October term 2022-2023
- Supreme Court cases, October term 2021-2022
- Supreme Court cases, October term 2020-2021
- Supreme Court cases, October term 2019-2020
- History of the Supreme Court
- Federal judicial appointments by president
- Article III, United States Constitution
Footnotes
Since 2007, SCOTUS has released opinions in 1,188 cases. Of those, it reversed a lower court decision 847 times (71.3 percent) while affirming a lower court decision 332 times (27.9 percent). In that time period, SCOTUS has decided more cases originating from the Ninth Circuit (233) than from any other circuit. The next-most is the Fifth Circuit, which had 95 decisions. During that span, SCOTUS overturned a greater number and percentage of cases originating from the Ninth Circuit (187, or 80.3 percent).
Circuit Courts
- See also: United States Court of Appeals
The United States Courts of Appeals are the intermediate appellate courts of the nation. There are 16 of these courts. Decisions of the district courts are appealed to the circuit courts, and appeals of circuit court decisions are heard by the Supreme Court of the United States.
Click the links below to view information on each of the courts of appeals.
- United States Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
- United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
- United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
- United States Court of International Trade
District Courts
- See also: United States district court
The United States District Courts are the trial courts of the federal courts. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of both law and equity. This level of court is composed of 94 different courts. There is at least one judicial district for each state, and one each for Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia.
Bankruptcy Courts
- See also: United States Bankruptcy Courts
The United States Bankruptcy Courts handle matters of bankruptcy across the nation. The jurisdiction of these courts corresponds with the jurisdiction of the United States District Courts.
Courts of specific subject-matter jurisdiction
There are seven courts of subject-matter jurisdiction in the federal court system. Most of these are Article I tribunals established by the United States Congress. Click here for a summary of these courts. These courts are:
- United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
- United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
- United States Court of Federal Claims
- United States Court of International Trade
- United States Court of Military Commission Review
- United States Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court
- United States Tax Court
Former courts
- Defunct circuit courts
- Defunct federal district courts
- Defunct special jurisdiction courts
- United States Court of Private Land Claims
- United States Commerce Court
Judges
Judges that serve on federal courts can be broken down into two major categories: Article III judges and non-Article III judges. The table below shows the number of judges of each type within the court structure, how they are selected, and how long their term lasts. These figures were last reviewed and updated on January 2, 2024.[1]
Number of federal judgeships (January 1, 2024) | |||
---|---|---|---|
Court | Number of judgeships | Appointed by | Term length |
Supreme Court of the United States | 9 | President | Life |
United States Court of Appeals | 179 | President | Life |
United States District Court | 677 | President | Life |
United States Court of International Trade | 9 | President | Life |
United States bankruptcy court | 345[2] | Circuit court judges | 14 years |
Federal magistrate judge | 588[3] | District court judges | 8 years |
Article III judges
Article III judges refer to judges who serve on courts authorized by Article III of the Constitution, which created and enumerated the powers of the judiciary. Those judges are: justices of the Supreme Court, judges of the Circuit Courts of Appeal, judges of the District Courts, and judges of the Court of International Trade. These judges are appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the U.S. Senate before joining the court. These judges serve life terms.[4]
Non-Article III judges
Article III judges are not the only ones serving the federal judiciary. Bankruptcy judges and magistrate judges also contribute to case resolution.
Bankruptcy judges serve 14-year renewable terms after being appointed by the judges of the corresponding Circuit Court of Appeal.
Magistrate judges serve eight-year renewable terms and are appointed by a majority vote of active district judges on the court.[5]
Judges by court
Judges by circuit
The table below displays the number of judges in each circuit and indicates how many were appointed by presidents from each major political party. It also includes the number of vacancies on a circuit and how many pending nominations for that circuit are before the United States Senate. The table can be sorted by clicking the column headers above the line. It is updated every Monday.
The map below displays the composition of federal circuit courts by the partisan affiliation of each judge's appointing president. Hover your mouse of the map to see the breakdown of by circuit court. It is updated monthly.
Judges by district
The table below displays the number of judges in each district and indicates how many were appointed by presidents from each major political party. It also includes the number of vacancies in a district and how many pending nominations for that district are before the United States Senate. The table can be sorted by clicking the column headers above the line, and you can navigate through the pages by clicking the arrows at the top of the table. It is updated every Monday.
The federal nomination process
Federal judges are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. There are multiple steps to the process:
- The president nominates an individual for a judicial seat.
- The nominee fills out a questionnaire and is reviewed by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
- The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with the nominee, questioning them about things like their judicial philosophy, past rulings or opinions, etc.
- As part of this process, the committee sends a blue slip to senators from the home state in which the judicial nomination was received, allowing them to express their approval or disapproval of the nominee.
- After the hearing, the Senate Judiciary Committee will vote to approve or return the nominee.
- If approved, the nominee is voted on by the full Senate.
- If the Committee votes to return the nominee to the president, the president has the opportunity to re-nominate the individual.
- The Senate holds a vote on the candidate.
- If the Senate confirms the nomination, the nominee receives a commission to serve a lifelong position as a federal judge.
- If the Senate does not confirm the nomination, that nominee does not become a judge.
Role of the other federal branches
Executive branch
The most integral responsibility of the executive branch as pertains to the judiciary is to nominate and appoint judges for service on the federal courts. See this category for a list of every judge appointed by each president throughout U.S. history.
For a list of current vacancies on the federal courts, click here.
The Cabinet-level post of United States Attorney General is the highest-ranking member of the United States Department of Justice. He or she is responsible for the United States attorneys assigned to each judicial district, as well as the assistant United States attorneys serving.
The United States Solicitor General argues cases on behalf of the federal government.
Legislative branch
Senate
The United States Senate is responsible for confirming federal judges following appointment by the president. The Senate Judiciary Committee evaluates nominees and considers federal legislation pertaining to the judicial branch.
Senators are also charged with recommending nominees to the president for appointment to federal courts in their respective states.
House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives Committee on Judiciary considers and recommends legislation pertaining to the judicial branch.
See also
- Federal courts by state
- Judicial vacancies in federal courts
- Federal judicial appointments by president
Footnotes
- ↑ U.S. Courts, "Vacancy Summary for January 2024," accessed January 2, 2024
- ↑ United States Courts, "Status of Bankruptcy Judgeships — Judicial Business 2021," accessed June 3, 2023
- ↑ United States Courts, "Status of Magistrate Judge Positions and Appointments — Judicial Business 2021," accessed June 3, 2023
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Federal Judicial Center, "How the Federal Courts are Organized," accessed March 12, 2019
- ↑ United States Courts, "FAQs," accessed March 12, 2019
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