Both civil and criminal cases that fall under federal jurisdiction are heard in federal district courts.

Civil cases involve disputes between people, corporations or governments, in which one or more parties sues one or more parties for compensation for personal or economic damages (i.e. breach of contract involving the U.S. Government, civil rights violations, disputes between citizens or businesses of different states, patent and trademark infringement). Federal jurisdiction is determined when cases involve federal laws, the U.S. Government (or any of its agencies), more than one state within the country, and disputes between citizens or businesses of different states where the amount in controversy exceeds $75,000.00.

Criminal Cases involve the violation of a federal law (i.e. smuggling drugs into the country, bank robbery, fraud or theft from federally insured institutions, counterfeiting U.S. currency, etc.).