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

After the appeal was rejected, Carroll’s lawyers asked the district court to order the immediate disbursement of $5 million in damages, and nearly $800,000 in interest that had accrued since the verdict.

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 driver’s grandfather had recently retired as a district court judge, which gave the accident an extra public layer.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel