district court

American  

noun

U.S. Law.

1. (in many states) the court of general jurisdiction.

2. the federal trial court sitting in each district of the United States.

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district court British  

noun

1. (in Scotland) a court of summary jurisdiction held by a stipendiary magistrate or one or more justices of the peace to deal with minor criminal offences

2. 1. a federal trial court serving a federal judicial district

   2. (in some states) a court having general jurisdiction in a state judicial district

3. Former name: magistrates' court.  (in Australia and New Zealand) a court lower than a high court

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Etymology

Origin of district court

An Americanism dating back to 1780–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

district court

And they ruled that "the district court exceeded its discretion" in excluding some of the plaintiffs' expert witnesses.

From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026

Then, in April, the court said: Now that we have the full case before us, we’re going to summarily reverse the district court for the reasons set forth in our five-paragraph scribble from December.

From Slate ● Jul. 13, 2026

Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on Tuesday affirmed the district court ruling, finding that the blockers were effective and that Hudson Bay never owned more than 10% of Bed Bath & Beyond’s stock.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

The court ruling does not take effect for 32 days and “barring any further district court orders,” according to the International Refugee Assistance Program.

From Salon ● Jun. 30, 2026

The district court ruled that the evidence presented was sufficient to justify discovery for the purposes of determining whether the allegations of selective enforcement were valid.

From "The New Jim Crow" by Michelle Alexander