Courts and venues

Patent litigation in the United States is concentrated in a handful of federal districts, with the Federal Circuit hearing every appeal. Each district carries its own scheduling order, local patent rules, and house style. The pages below describe the four districts that hold most patent dockets and the appellate court that reviews them.

• Eastern District of TexasTyler · Marshall · Sherman · Texarkana. Historically the largest patent docket in the country; reshaped after TC Heartland.
• Western District of Texas (Waco Division)Waco. Surge of filings under Judge Albright; mandamus pressure from the Federal Circuit on transfer.
• District of DelawareWilmington. The default venue for Delaware-incorporated defendants; Connolly disclosure orders since 2022.
• Northern District of CaliforniaSan Francisco · San Jose. Patent Local Rules date to 2000; concentrated tech-defendant practice.
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal CircuitWashington, D.C. Created 1982; exclusive jurisdiction over patent appeals under 28 U.S.C. § 1295.