Federal Courts

The judiciary shapes your money and rights as much as Congress does, Supreme Court decisions, and the federal rules courts have struck down or paused, each tied to its primary source.

How the federal courts work

Three tiers, one throughline: the courts decide who pays, who qualifies, and what the government may do.

Federal court decisions reach straight into household finances, student-loan relief, retirement and tax rules, health coverage, the limits of agency power. Below: the structure, then the live decisions that matter.

1 · Supreme Court: The final word. ~60–70 decided cases a term, each consequential, from student loans to agency power.
13 · Courts of Appeals: Twelve regional circuits plus the Federal Circuit. Their published opinions bind whole regions until the Supreme Court says otherwise.
94 · District Courts: The trial courts. Where nationwide injunctions against federal programs start, and where most litigation begins.