Nix v. Whiteside

The country's court system includes a state and local court system as well as a federal court system. The federal district court is the first of three levels in the federal system, which also includes U.S. court of appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court. Federal cases begin at the district level, where they are heard and decided. If a party disagrees with the ruling by a federal district court, it can petition the federal court of appeals and if still dissatisfied the party can petition the Supreme Court.

All district court judges receive life appointments by the president with approval from the Senate, except for territorial courts. Congress determines the number of judges per district based on caseloads. In the late 1990s, there were 646 district court judges serving the country's 94 district courts.