Criminal Cases

• The federal courts are responsible for hearing all cases in which an individual is accused of a federal crime. Hearing federal criminal cases is a significant portion of the federal courts' responsibilities. Indeed, the single most common party to a federal court case is the U.S. Department of Justice, which prosecutes federal crimes and represents the federal government in civil lawsuits.
  
  

Federal Question Cases

• Federal courts are authorized to hear all cases that involve a "federal question." This means, essentially, that if a case necessarily involves the interpretation or application of federal law, it is within the jurisdiction of the federal courts. Although state courts may also hear cases involving such questions, if a party files this type of case in federal court or removes it to federal court after it is filed, as a general matter it is the federal court's duty to hear it.
  
  

Diversity Cases

• Federal courts are also responsible for hearing cases where there is a diversity of citizenship. Put simply, this means that if a civil lawsuit involves parties that are from different states and the case involves at least $75,000 in potential damages, the case will usually be within the federal courts' jurisdiction. As with federal question cases, state courts may also hear such cases. But again, if a party files this type of case in federal court or removes it to federal court after it is filed, as a general matter it is the federal court's duty to hear it.
  
  

Other Matters

• The federal courts also hear matters in other specific areas. For example, federal courts hear cases where there is a dispute between two or more states or involving ambassadors or public ministers. Federal courts also hear matters involving admiralty law. The federal courts, including specially established bankruptcy courts, are exclusively responsible for overseeing personal and corporate bankruptcies.
  
  

Special Federal Courts

• There are also a number of special federal courts with very limited jurisdiction and duties. Each of these courts hears only specific types of cases. These special federal courts include the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, the U.S. Tax Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, the U.S. Court of International Trade, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces and the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation.