There are 59 courts of last resort in the United States: the U.S. Supreme Court, 52 state-level high courts, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, and five territorial high courts. Not every one carries the “Supreme Court” name, but each is the final word on legal disputes within its jurisdiction. The count reaches 52 at the state level rather than 50 because Texas and Oklahoma each maintain two separate high courts.
The One Federal Supreme Court
Article III of the Constitution vests federal judicial power in “one supreme Court,” making the Supreme Court of the United States the single highest court in the federal system.1Congress.gov. U.S. Constitution – Article III Its nine justices hold their seats “during good Behaviour,” which in practice means for life unless they resign, retire, or are impeached and removed.2Congress.gov. Good Behavior Clause Doctrine
The court does not sit above state supreme courts on everyday matters of state law. State high courts are the final authority on their own constitutions and statutes.3United States Courts. Comparing Federal and State Courts Federal review kicks in only when a state court decision turns on a federal question. Under 28 U.S.C. § 1257, the Supreme Court may review final judgments from the highest court of a state where such a federal issue was raised.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1257 If a state ruling rests entirely on an independent and adequate state-law ground, the Supreme Court generally stays out.
The 52 State High Courts
Every state has its own independent court system topped by at least one court of last resort. These courts interpret state constitutions and statutes, handle appeals across civil and criminal matters, and exercise judicial review over state legislation. Their decisions bind every lower court in the state and can be disturbed only by the U.S. Supreme Court on a federal question.
Most states call their highest court the Supreme Court, but the exceptions trip people up. Maine and Massachusetts each use “Supreme Judicial Court.” West Virginia calls its high court the “Supreme Court of Appeals.” New York is the most confusing: its highest court is the Court of Appeals, while the name “Supreme Court” belongs to its general trial courts. Maryland used to share New York’s naming convention, but voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2022 renaming the Court of Appeals of Maryland to the Supreme Court of Maryland.5Maryland Courts. Voter-Approved Constitutional Change Renames High Courts to Supreme and Appellate Court of Maryland Today, New York is the only state where the highest court is still called the Court of Appeals.
Why the State Total Is 52, Not 50
Texas and Oklahoma each split their highest appellate authority between two separate courts. In Texas, the Supreme Court of Texas handles civil appeals while the Court of Criminal Appeals has final jurisdiction over all criminal matters, including death-penalty cases. Oklahoma mirrors that structure: its Supreme Court decides civil cases and its Court of Criminal Appeals is the last stop for criminal convictions. No other state uses this model, so anywhere else in the country a single court of last resort handles both civil and criminal appeals.
The District of Columbia and Five Territorial High Courts
Six jurisdictions outside the states maintain their own courts of last resort.
District of Columbia
The D.C. Court of Appeals functions as the equivalent of a state supreme court for the nation’s capital. It reviews decisions from the D.C. Superior Court and hears appeals from local administrative agencies. Federal law explicitly treats it as the “highest court of a State” for purposes of U.S. Supreme Court review.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 28 USC 1257 It should not be confused with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which is a federal appellate court and an entirely different institution.
The Five Territorial High Courts
Four of the five inhabited U.S. territories operate courts that carry the “Supreme Court” name:
- The Supreme Court of Puerto Rico is the highest court in the Commonwealth.6Library of Congress. Judicial – Guide to Law Online: U.S. Puerto Rico
- The Supreme Court of Guam serves as the territory’s highest court, with appellate jurisdiction over the Superior Court of Guam and supervisory authority over the local judicial branch.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 48 USC Chapter 8A, Subchapter IV – The Judiciary
- The Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands was established by the territorial legislature in 2004 as the islands’ court of last resort.8Supreme Court of the U.S. Virgin Islands. About Us
- The Supreme Court of the CNMI is the highest court in the Northern Mariana Islands.9Library of Congress. Judicial – Guide to Law Online: U.S. Northern Mariana Islands
American Samoa is the outlier. Instead of a supreme court, the territory operates a High Court with an appellate division that serves as the court of last resort. Unlike other territories where local court judges are appointed by the governor, the High Court’s justices are appointed by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior. American Samoa also lacks a separate federal district court, and the High Court itself handles a narrow slice of federal matters like food safety and shipping disputes.10GovInfo. American Samoa: Issues Associated with Some Federal Court Provisions Even without the “Supreme Court” label, its appellate division counts as one of the five territorial courts of last resort.
What the Count Leaves Out
Federally recognized tribes operate as separate sovereigns with their own governments, and roughly 400 tribal justice systems exist across the country.11Bureau of Indian Affairs. Tribal Court Systems Many include appellate courts that function as courts of last resort within the tribe’s jurisdiction. They are not typically included in the standard count of 59 because they operate under a separate framework of tribal sovereignty rather than under Article III of the Constitution or a state constitution. If you add tribal appellate courts to the picture, the total grows significantly, but they sit in a legal category of their own.
So the working answer is 59 supreme courts, or courts of last resort, in the United States: one federal, 52 state, one for the District of Columbia, and five for the territories.