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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.

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

    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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of district court

An Americanism dating back to 1780–90

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.