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

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

---

Etymology

Origin of district court

An Americanism dating back to 1780–90

Example Sentences

District Court for the Northern District of California, said the Beijing judgment wouldn’t be enforced in the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal

District Court judge in the jurisdiction overseeing Silicon Valley, Grewal has plenty of experience interpreting federal statutes like the Commodity Exchange Act, which established the CFTC’s regulatory power over prediction markets and has become the subject of debate in courtrooms across the country.

From Barron's

District Court ruled that conditioning minors’ social media participation on parental consent is “an impermissible curtailment of their First Amendment rights.”

From The Wall Street Journal

District Court for Northern California, accuses the company of failing to disclose sales of servers to companies based in China in violation of U.S. export-control laws.

From Barron's

The case spent years locked in court battles, with a district court judge first dismissing the case by claiming that the officials involved had qualified immunity, a doctrine created by the Supreme Court some 60 years ago that grants federal officials immunity from being sued under many circumstances.

From Slate