United States District Court for the District of Columbia

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E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse

The United States District Court for the District of Columbia is a federal court of the United States of America . It is one of the district courts with general jurisdiction in the first instance. The court hears both civil and criminal cases and can make decisions under US federal law using common law and equity. Although the judicial district is the smallest in the United States - its territory extends only to Washington, DC - it is the largest district court in the United States because the court has jurisdiction over lawsuits against the federal government. The court was created in 1863 by the US Congress as the 'Supreme Court of the District of Columbia'. In 1936 it was named District Court for the District of Columbia by Congress. In 1948 it got its current name. The court is located at the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington DC

Judge

The court consists of 15 judges. The judges carry the official title United States District Judge , in German ' District Judge '. Other federal judges , including appellate judges and the judges of the Supreme Court , may serve as temporary district judges upon the direction of the relevant chief judge. Since the President of the United States appoints all federal judges only with the approval of the Senate , it often turns out that the candidates belong to the same party as the President, or at least share fundamental political views.

According to the third article of the Constitution , all judges for life are appointed and can only be sold if they meet the standard of "good behavior" (good behavior) hurt. For this purpose, the method of impeachment must be used, i.e. an indictment by the House of Representatives and an impeachment by a two-thirds majority in the Senate. Otherwise, a judge has the right to serve until his death or resignation, even if he is found guilty by a jury in criminal proceedings, for example. In United States history, there have been only twelve judges indicted by the House of Representatives and only seven removed from office by the Senate.

Judges who have reached the age of 65 or suffer a disability can voluntarily retire or assume “senior status” and continue working. Such “senior” judges are no longer counted in the total number of judges at the district court and only perform tasks assigned to them by the local chief judge. However, they keep their chambers and staff, and many continue to work full-time. Federal judges are addressed in writing as The Honorable <First Name Name> ( e.g. The Honorable <First Name Name> ) or the Hon. <First Name Name> , literally as a judge or judge <Last Name> and in the courtroom with Your Honor .

Current judges

Well-known former judges

Jurisdiction

The court is primarily responsible for disputes in which the federal government appears as plaintiff or defendant. The federal question is important here, i.e. jurisdiction arises directly from federal law (either the constitution itself or a federal law). In order to initiate a lawsuit , there must be a compelling reason why the court should try the case rather than the state court. A common example is lawsuits from Indian reservations because they are not part of a state. Lawsuits by members of the armed forces are also often brought to this court. Cases are also dealt with in which the plaintiff or the defendant is resident outside of Washington DC, but the opponent is resident in Washington DC and the amount in dispute is at least 75,000 US dollars . The court also has jurisdiction if the plaintiff and defendant live in Washington DC, since Washington DC is not a state. A well-known case is the billions lawsuit filed by the North American Indians against the Home Office , Cobell v. Salazar .

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