Only one. The US District Courts are the trial courts for cases of general jurisdiction in the federal court system. Cases are either tried by jury (jury trial) or by a single judge (bench trial).
Under most circumstances, appeals in the "intermediate appellate courts," such as the US Court of Appeals Circuit Courts or the State Appellate Courts, impanel three judges to review each case on appeal. The judges rotate and are assigned cases randomly, so they don't work with the same colleagues each time.
In the federal court system, important Circuit cases are sometimes heard en banc, meaning heard by all the judges of that particular Circuit (the number of judges in each Circuit varies; there may be seven to eleven judges sitting en banc).
According to the 2009 Annual Report of the Director for Judicial Business of the US Courts, there are 678 authorized seats for judges in the US District Courts; there are also an addition 523 full-time magistrates who are hired by the District Court judges to serve eight-year terms.
District Court Judges
US District Courts (judges)......................678
US District Courts (magistrates)*.............523 FT/48 PT = 24 FTE
Approximate total...............................1,201
* Magistrates occupy a lower judicial role than judges in US District Courts. District Court Judges appoint magistrates to eight-year terms; they do not hold lifetime appointments like other Article III judges.
US District Courts have one judge per case.
General Information
US District Courts are the point of entry to the federal judicial system for most cases of general jurisdiction. The District Courts are trial courts, meaning the judge or jury act as "triers of fact." They review evidence and listen to testimony and arguments in a criminal or civil trial in an attempt to determine whether the prosecution (or plaintiff) has proven his or her case to the degree required by the type of trial being heard. In criminal cases, the prosecution must convince the judge or jury that the evidence proves guilt "beyond a reasonable doubt." The standard of proof is lower in a civil case, where the plaintiff is only required to demonstrate that the accusation is "more likely than not."
The US District Courts have only one judge for each case. Under the Sixth Amendment, a defendant has the right to request a jury trial in criminal cases where the penalty may include six months or more incarceration.
Under the Seventh Amendment, federal courts also provide for trial by jury in certain civil cases, as outlined in the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
US District Courts are the general jurisdiction trial courts of the federal judiciary. They have only one judge presiding over each case.
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The verdict in most American courts is decided by a majority of the judges. In North Carolina, each district court is located at the county seat of each county.
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In the U.S., it varies by state. Federal judges are not elected; they are appointed.
There are 12 judges total. (The title "Justice" is reserved for members of the Supreme Court.) There are 4 judges from each grand division of Tennessee. However, only three judges hear each case. The grand division in which each county is located will determine which set of judges hears a particular case. For instance, a case from Hamilton County will be heard in the Eastern Division Court of Appeals and three of the four judges from the Eastern Division will hear that appeal. Likewise, a case from Trousdale County will be heard by three of the four judges from the Middle Division.
The Court of Special Appeals judges are appointed by the Governor with the consent of the State Senate for a 10 year term of office.District Court judges for each county and the City of Baltimore are appointed by the Governor and approved by the Senate and each serve 10 year terms in office.The 32 Circuit Court judges are appointed by the Governor or elected by the voters and serve 15 year terms of office.The seven Court of Appeals (Supreme Court) are appointed by the Governor with the consent of the Senate for a 10 year term of office.The United States District Court for the District of Maryland has judges appointed by the US President and approved by the US Senate and serve for life.
The court itself has more than one judge assigned to it, but only one judge is assigned to hear each case in its entirety .
The judicial system operates within the boundaries of the law. Judges interpret what they think the law means in each case.
The District Courts are the courts of original jurisdiction. Essentially each state is divided into federal districts and judges and/or juries hear cases. The District Court makes determinations about the facts of the case (what really happened, when it happened, which witness' testimony was more reliable, etc.) and then issues a Findings of Fact, Conclusions of Law and Judgment. If one party disagrees with the district court's decision, you may appeal to the Federal Court of Appeals for your district. Courts of Appeals and the Supreme Court do NOT hear witness testimony, they only hear legal argument.
The number of judges assigned varies as to the size of the circuit it serves.
Typically, all nine justices of the US Supreme Court hear a case together; however, many cases have been decided with fewer justices. Federal law requires a quorum of at least six justices hear each case.
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