Federal Court Structure
| Name of Court | Type of Court | Type of Jurisdiction |
| U.S. Supreme Court | Court of Last Resort | Appellate & Original |
| U.S. Courts of Appeals | Intermediate Appellate Court | Appellate |
| U.S. District Courts | Trial Court | Original |
| U.S. Magistrates | Limited Jurisdiction Courts | Limited |
Specific Information on Federal Courts
U.S. Supreme Court
| Number of Justices | Nine |
| Justice Selection | Nominated by the President, confirmed by the Senate, serve for life |
| Jurisdiction | Appellate and Original |
U.S. Courts of Appeals
| Number of Circuits | Thirteen circuit courts, eleven regional, Washington, D.C. and Federal |
| Judge Selection | Nominated by the President, confirmed by the Senate, serve for life |
| Jurisdiction | Appellate |
U.S. District Courts
| Number of Courts | Ninety four: 89 throughout the 50 states, Puerto Rico, D.C. and 3 territories |
| Judge Selection | Nominated by the President, confirmed by the Senate, serve for life |
| Jurisdiction | Original |
U.S. Magistrates
| Number | Each U.S. District Court has a number assigned to it |
| Magistrate Selection | Vote of active District Court judges in district, eight year term |
| Jurisdiction | Limited |
Current U. S. Supreme Court
| Name | Year Appointed | President Making Appointment |
| Roberts, John G., Jr. | 2005 | Bush 2 |
| Scalia, Antonin | 1986 | Reagan |
| Kennedy, Anthony | 1988 | Reagan |
| Thomas, Clarence | 1991 | Bush 1 |
| Ginsburg, Ruth Bader | 1993 | Clinton |
| Breyer, Steven G. | 1994 | Clinton |
| Alito, Samuel | 2006 | Bush 2 |
| Sotomayor, Sonia | 2009 | Obama |
| Kagan, Elena | 2010 | Obama |
Federal Courts In Georgia
U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit
| Court Web Site | |
| States in Circuit | Alabama, Florida and Georgia |
| Address | 56 Forsyth Street, NW Atlanta, GA 30303-2205 |
U.S. District Courts
Breakdown of U.S. Courts of Appeals
| Circuit | States and/or Territories |
| First | Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Puerto Rico |
| Second | Vermont, New York, Connecticut |
| Third | Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Virgin Islands |
| Fourth | West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland |
| Fifth | Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi |
| Sixth | Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee |
| Seventh | Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana |
| Eighth | North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas |
| Ninth | Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, California, Arizona, Alaska, Hawaii, North Mariana Islands, Guam |
| Tenth | Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico |
| Eleventh | Georgia, Alabama, Florida |
| Twelfth | Washington, D.C. |
| Thirteenth | Federal |