how many federal district court judges are there

There are 677 authorized federal district court judgeships in the U.S. federal system. The number of active judges serving at any moment can be higher or lower because some judges take senior status and vacancies can remain open.

Quick Scoop

• Authorized judgeships: 677.

• Actual judges serving: varies over time because of vacancies and senior-status judges.

• District structure: the 50 states have 89 district courts, and there are 94 total districts including the territories and D.C.

Why the number can shift

Congress sets the number of district judgeships by law, and that number is adjusted over time based on workload. So if you see a slightly different figure somewhere, it is usually referring to either an older authorization count or the current number of filled seats rather than the total authorized positions.

In plain terms

If you just want the headline number, the best answer is 677 federal district court judgeships.