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.