North Carolina Federal Court Structure at a Glance
Court Locations in North Carolina — 28 U.S.C. § 113
The district structure of North Carolina is set by statute, quoted below from 28 U.S.C. § 113:
“North Carolina is divided into three judicial districts to be known as the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of North Carolina.”
Court locations under the statute:
Court for the Eastern District shall be held at Elizabeth City, Fayetteville, Greenville, New Bern, Raleigh, Wilmington, and Wilson.
Court for the Middle District shall be held at Durham, Greensboro, and Winston-Salem.
Court for the Western District shall be held at Asheville, Bryson City, Charlotte, Shelby, and Statesville.
Federal White-Collar Cases in North Carolina
Federal fraud offenses committed in North Carolina are prosecuted in the district where the offense occurred. Jurisdiction is statutory: “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.” (18 U.S.C. § 3231).
Circuit assignment is statutory as well. 28 U.S.C. § 41 provides:
“Fourth Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia.”
The Fourth Circuit hears appeals from the district courts in North Carolina. The district courts listed above maintain public websites with local rules, judge information, and case-location details; the federal court finder at uscourts.gov also covers North Carolina.
The principal federal fraud statutes — mail fraud (18 U.S.C. § 1341), wire fraud (§ 1343), and bank fraud (§ 1344) — apply in every federal district. Bank fraud carries a statutory maximum of 30 years: “shall be fined not more than $1,000,000 or imprisoned not more than 30 years, or both.” (18 U.S.C. § 1344).
This page is part of the White-Collar Case Law Research Desk reference library. Additional research notes are published as new court decisions are issued.
Primary sources
- 28 U.S.C. § 113 — North Carolina (law.cornell.edu). Verbatim: “North Carolina is divided into three judicial districts to be known as the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of North Carolina.”
- 28 U.S.C. § 41 — Number and composition of circuits (law.cornell.edu). Verbatim: “Fourth Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia.”
- 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.”
- 18 U.S.C. § 1344 — Bank fraud (law.cornell.edu). Verbatim: “shall be fined not more than $1,000,000 or imprisoned not more than 30 years, or both.”
White-Collar Federal Defense Reference by State
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