10.3.1 Federal judiciary structure
The U.S. federal judiciary has three levels for handling patent cases: (1) the district courts, which adjudicate disputes in the first instance; (2) the Federal Circuit, which has exclusive jurisdiction over patent appeals; and (3) the U.S. Supreme Court, which reviews appeals from the Federal Circuit on a discretionary basis.
Figure 10.5 shows the judicial administration structure in the U.S.
Source: Judicial Administration Structure for IP Disputes provided by the USPTO, available at www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/judgments/j-admin/us.html