United States territorial court

Class of courts in Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands The United States territorial courts are tribunals established in territories of the United States by the United States Congress, pursuant to its power under Article Four of the United States Constitution, the Territorial Clause. Most United States territorial courts are defunct because the territories under their jurisdiction have become states or been retroceded. There are three currently operating United States territorial courts: District Court of Guam District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands District Court of the Virgin Islands Their jurisdiction is similar to that of United States district courts, but despite the similarity of names, they are not "United States district courts" (though they sometimes use that term). "United States district courts", created under Article III of the U.S. Constitution, exist only in United States federal judicial districts, which are found only in the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The territorial courts themselves, as Article IV courts, also assume the jurisdiction of a United States bankruptcy court in their respective territori