<P> There are 89 districts in the 50 states, with a total of 94 districts including territories . </P> <P> There are other federal trial courts that have nationwide jurisdiction over certain types of cases, but the district court also has concurrent jurisdiction over many of those cases, and the district court is the only one with jurisdiction over civilian criminal cases . The United States Court of International Trade addresses cases involving international trade and customs issues . The United States Court of Federal Claims has exclusive jurisdiction over most claims for money damages against the United States, including disputes over federal contracts, unlawful takings of private property by the federal government, and suits for injury on federal property or by a federal employee . The United States Tax Court has jurisdiction over contested pre-assessment determinations of taxes . </P> <P> A judge of a United States district court is officially titled a "United States District Judge". Other federal judges, including circuit judges and Supreme Court Justices, can also sit in a district court upon assignment by the chief judge of the circuit or by the Chief Justice of the United States . The number of judges in each district court (and the structure of the judicial system generally) is set by Congress in the United States Code . The President appoints the federal judges for terms of good behavior (subject to the advice and consent of the Senate), so the nominees often share at least some of his or her convictions . In states represented by a senator of the President's party, the senator (or the more senior of them if both senators are of the president's party) has substantial input into the nominating process, and through a tradition known as senatorial courtesy can exercise an unofficial veto over a nominee unacceptable to the senator . </P> <P> With the exception of the territorial courts (Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Virgin Islands), federal district judges are Article III judges appointed for life, and can be removed involuntarily only when they violate the standard of "good behavior". The sole method of involuntary removal of a judge is through impeachment by the United States House of Representatives followed by a trial in the United States Senate and a conviction by a two - thirds vote . Otherwise, a judge, even if convicted of a felony criminal offense by a jury, is entitled to hold office until retirement or death . In the history of the United States, only twelve judges have been impeached by the House, and only seven have been removed following conviction in the Senate . (For a table that includes the twelve impeached judges, see Impeachment in the United States .) </P>

Who nominates judges to the us district courts