They have traditionally been like Justice of the Peace courts, empowered to fix bail and issue arrest and search warrants.
[3] They replaced the previous District Courts (Tribunal de Distrito) by Act No.
[4] As of 15 July 2013, the "Tribunal de Distrito" in Puerto Rico was still in the process of being "abolished".
[1] The District Courts typically held probable cause hearings in driving under the influence cases.
The Court of Appeals judges are appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate and serve for a period of 16 years.