Washington Federal Court Structure at a Glance
Court Locations in Washington — 28 U.S.C. § 128
The district structure of Washington is set by statute, quoted below from 28 U.S.C. § 128:
“Washington is divided into two judicial districts to be known as the Eastern and Western Districts of Washington.”
Court locations under the statute:
Court for the Eastern District shall be held at Spokane, Yakima, Walla Walla, and Richland.
Court for the Western District shall be held at Bellingham, Seattle, Tacoma, Mount Vernon, and Vancouver.
Federal White-Collar Cases in Washington
Federal fraud offenses committed in Washington 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:
“Ninth Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Guam, Hawaii.”
The Ninth Circuit hears appeals from the district courts in Washington. 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 Washington.
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. § 128 — Washington (law.cornell.edu). Verbatim: “Washington is divided into two judicial districts to be known as the Eastern and Western Districts of Washington.”
- 28 U.S.C. § 41 — Number and composition of circuits (law.cornell.edu). Verbatim: “Ninth Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Guam, Hawaii.”
- 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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