Federal Criminal Law in South Carolina at a Glance
The Federal Judicial District(s) Covering South Carolina
28 U.S.C. § 121 defines the federal judicial district(s) for South Carolina:
“South Carolina constitutes one judicial district comprising eleven divisions.” — 28 U.S.C. § 121
Appeals from those district courts go to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Circuit membership is set by 28 U.S.C. § 41, which lists South Carolina among the states of the Fourth Circuit.
Federal Criminal Appellate Review for Cases Arising in South Carolina
Additional research notes are published as new court decisions are issued.
Primary sources
- 28 U.S.C. § 121 — South Carolina (law.cornell.edu). Verbatim: “South Carolina constitutes one judicial district comprising eleven divisions.”
- 28 U.S.C. § 41 — Number and composition of circuits (law.cornell.edu). Verbatim: “The thirteen judicial circuits of the United States are constituted as follows: Circuits Composition District of Columbia District of Columbia. First Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island. Second Connecticut, New York, Vermont. Third Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virgin Islands. Fourth Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia. Fifth District of the Canal Zone, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas. Sixth Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee. Seventh Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin. Eighth Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota. Ninth Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Guam, Hawaii. Tenth Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, Wyoming. Eleventh Alabama, Florida, Georgia. Federal All Federal judicial districts.”
- 18 U.S.C. § 3231 — District courts (law.cornell.edu). Verbatim: “The district courts of the United States shall have original jurisdiction, exclusive of the courts of the States, of all offenses against the laws of the United States.”
- United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (uscourts.gov). Verbatim: “In the federal system, 94 district courts are organized into 12 regional circuits. Each circuit has its own court of appeals that reviews cases decided in U.S. district courts within the circuit.”
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