Also known as: inferior courts · lower court · lower courts
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A federal court established by Congress below the Supreme Court to exercise the judicial power of the United States. Such courts receive judges who hold office during good behavior and receive compensation that cannot be diminished during their tenure.
Congress passed the Digital Courts Act converting sitting district judges into fixed-term digital court judges removable by a Tech Commission. Isaiah Ishikawa, a litigant in a technology dispute, sued the Commission. The court held the statute unconstitutional because the judges exercised Article III power without life tenure or salary protection.
Ines Ibarra petitioned the Supreme Court for a writ of mandamus after a district court refused to issue process on her commission. The Supreme Court exercised appellate jurisdiction over the inferior court to enforce the constitutional vesting of judicial power.
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Ivy Ibarra was served with process while briefly present in the forum state during interstate travel. The district court, an inferior court, exercised personal jurisdiction over her under established transient jurisdiction rules even though the claim arose elsewhere.
Idina Iverson sued in federal district court on a state-law tort claim. The inferior court applied state substantive law rather than federal common law, recognizing that the judicial power exercised by such courts must respect state authority over general common law.
Isla Ireland challenged a local zoning ordinance in federal district court after an adverse administrative ruling. The inferior court reviewed the ordinance under constitutional standards, confirming its authority to adjudicate federal questions arising from state land-use decisions.
Integrity Partners challenged an agency rule in federal district court. The inferior court deferred to the agency's interpretation of its governing statute, exercising judicial power within the bounds of administrative review standards.
Judges of inferior courts must hold office during good behavior and receive compensation that cannot be diminished during their tenure. These protections secure judicial independence when Congress exercises its power to establish such courts.
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No. Converting life-tenured district or circuit judges into fixed-term judges removable by an agency violates the good-behavior tenure and salary protections required for any court exercising the judicial power of the United States.
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No. The compensation of judges of inferior courts may not be diminished during their continuance in office. Any mechanism that reduces compensation based on case outcomes or other factors violates the constitutional guarantee.
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…which its words purport to confer and assign. The Constitution vests the whole judicial power in one supreme court and such inferior courts as Congress shall ordain and establish. This power is extended to all cases arising under the laws of the United States and consequently may be exercised over the present case because the…