The U.S. federal court system is vast. Not only can you find specialty courts like the Court of Federal Claims and Court of International Trade, but you have several district courts in each of the different regions. To keep them all straight, learn the different federal and district court abbreviations that might appear on court documents.
District Court Abbreviations
When you have a court case that makes it to the federal court level, the first courts it will go through are the district courts. Each U.S. state has its own district court, and some have more than one. Learn the abbreviations for all the different district courts by region.
Northeast District Court Abbreviations
In the U.S., you’ll find different regions. The northeast region covers the area from Maine to Pennsylvania. Review the abbreviations for the courts found in the northeast region below.
- D. Conn. - District of Connecticut
- D. Mass. - District of Massachusetts
- D. Me. - District of Maine
- D.N.J. - District of New Jersey
- D.N.H. - District of New Hampshire
- E.D.N.Y. - Eastern District of New York
- N.D.N.Y. - Northern District of New York
- S.D.N.Y. - Southern District of New York
- W.D.N.Y. - Western District of New York
- E.D. Pa. - Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- M.D. Pa. - Middle District of Pennsylvania
- W.D. Pa. - Western District of Pennsylvania
- D.R.I. - District of Rhode Island
- D. Vt. - District of Vermont
Midwest District Court Abbreviations
When it comes to the Midwest region, you’re looking at the area from Ohio to North Dakota. While this area has lots of lakes, like Lake Michigan and Lake Superior, there aren’t any oceans. District court abbreviations in the Midwest include:
- C.D. Ill. - Central District of Illinois
- N.D. Ill. - Northern District of Illinois
- N.D. Ind. - Northern District of Indiana
- S.D. Ind. - Southern District of Indiana
- N.D. Iowa - Northern District of Iowa
- S.D. Iowa - Southern District of Iowa
- D. Kan. - District of Kansas
- E.D. Mich. - Eastern District of Michigan
- W.D. Mich. - Western District of Michigan
- D. Minn. - District of Minnesota
- E.D. Mo. - Eastern District of Missouri
- W.D. Mo. - Western District of Missouri
- D. Neb. - District of Nebraska
- D.N.D. - District of North Dakota
- N.D. Ohio - Northern District of Ohio
- S.D. Ohio - Southern District of Ohio
- D.S.D. - District of South Dakota
- E.D. Wis. - Eastern District of Wisconsin
- W.D. Wis. - Western District of Wisconsin
South District Court Abbreviations
Not only does the American South have one of the largest drive-in restaurants in Georgia, but you might also enjoy Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans. If you're looking for abbreviations for district courts in the south, these will include:
- M.D. Ala. - Middle District of Alabama
- N.D. Ala. - Northern District of Alabama
- S.D. Ala. - Southern District of Alabama
- E.D. Ark. - Eastern District of Arkansas
- W.D. Ark. - Western District of Arkansas
- D. Del. - District of Delaware
- D.D.C. - District of D.C.
- M.D. Fla. - Middle District of Florida
- N.D. Fla. - Northern District of Florida
- S.D. Fla. - Southern District of Florida
- M.D. Ga. - Middle District of Georgia
- N.D. Ga. - Northern District of Georgia
- S.D. Ga. - Southern District of Georgia
- E.D. Ky. - Eastern District of Kentucky
- W.D. Ky. - Western District of Kentucky
- E.D. La. - Eastern District of Louisiana
- M.D. La. - Middle District of Louisiana
- W.D. La. - Western District of Louisiana
- D. Md. - District of Maryland
- N.D. Miss. - Northern District of Mississippi
- S.D. Miss. - Southern District of Mississippi
- E.D.N.C. - Eastern District of North Carolina
- M.D.N.C. - Middle District of North Carolina
- W.D.N.C. - Western District of North Carolina
- E.D. Okla. - Eastern District of Oklahoma
- N.D. Okla. - Northern District of Oklahoma
- W.D. Okla. - Western District of Oklahoma
- D.S.C. - District of South Carolina
- E.D. Tenn. - Eastern District of Tennessee
- M.D. Tenn. - Middle District of Tennessee
- W.D. Tenn. - Western District of Tennessee
- E.D. Tex. - Eastern District of Texas
- N.D. Tex. - Northern District of Texas
- S.D. Tex. - Southern District of Texas
- W.D. Tex. - Western District of Texas
- E.D. Va. - Eastern District of Virginia
- W.D. Va. - Western District of Virginia
- N.D.W. Va. - Northern District of West Virginia
- S.D.W. Va. - Southern District of West Virginia
West District Court Abbreviations
In the west, you’ll find the Rocky Mountains in Colorado and all the sunny beaches of California. You can also find Alaska and the islands like Hawaii. When looking for court district abbreviations in the west, you will find:
- D. Alaska - District of Alaska
- D. Ariz. - District of Arizona
- C.D. Cal. - Central District of California
- E.D. Cal. - Eastern District of California
- N.D. Cal. - Northern District of California
- S.D. Cal. - Southern District of California
- D. Colo. - District of Colorado
- D. Guam - District of Guam
- D. Haw. - District of Hawaii
- D. Idaho - District of Idaho
- D. Mont. - District of Montana
- D. Nev. - District of Nevada
- D.N.M. - District of New Mexico
- D.N. Mar. Is. - District of the Northern Mariana Islands
- D. Or. - District of Oregon
- D.P.R. - District of Puerto Rico
- D. Utah - District of Utah
- D.V.I. - District of the Virgin Islands
- E.D. Wash. - Eastern District of Washington
- W.D. Wash. - Western District of Washington
- D. Wyo. - District of Wyoming
Federal Court Abbreviations
When a case is appealed in the district court, it can go to one of 13 circuit courts and the Supreme Court. There are also specialty federal courts like the Trade Court of International Trade and the Court of Claims. If you are looking for federal court abbreviations, they are listed here.
- 1st Cir. - First Circuit
- 2d Cir. - Second Circuit
- 3d Cir. - Third Circuit
- 4th Cir. - Fourth Circuit
- 5th Cir. - Fifth Circuit
- 6th Cir. - Sixth Circuit
- 7th Cir. - Seventh Circuit
- 8th Cir. - Eighth Circuit
- 9th Cir. - Ninth Circuit
- 10th Cir. - Tenth Circuit
- 11th Cir. - Eleventh Circuit
- D.C. Cir. - D.C. Circuit
- Fed. Cl. - Court of Federal Claims
- Cust. & Pat. App. - Court of Customs and Patent Appeals
- Ct. Cl. - Court of Claims
- Cl. Ct. - Claims Court
- Ct. Intl. - Trade Court of International Trade
- Tax - Tax Court
- Fed. Cir. - Federal Circuit
- U.S. - United States Supreme Court
Military Court Abbreviations
It wouldn’t be an article about district and federal court abbreviations without the military courts too. These are the specialty courts that handle military criminal cases. The abbreviations for military courts include:
- Armed Forces App. - United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces
- Vet. App. - United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims
- A.F. Crim. App. - United States Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals
- Army Crim. App. - United States Army Court of Criminal Appeals
- Coast Guard Crim. App. - United States Coast Guard Court of Criminal Appeals
- Navy-Marine Crim. App. - United States Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals
Breaking Down Court Abbreviations
There are quite a few district and federal courts in the United States. Not only are there district courts in each state (and sometimes several), but there are also 13 circuit courts and a Supreme Court at the federal level. Now that you know more about the military courts too, you might want to check out military acronyms.