The main building is the Clemente Ruiz Nazario United States Courthouse located in the Hato Rey district of San Juan.

The magistrate judges are located in the adjacent Federico Degetau Federal Building, and several senior district judges hold court at the Jose V. Toledo Federal Building and U.S.

The United States first established a federal court in Puerto Rico under the Foraker Act of 1900.

of Engineers Architects and Surveyors v. Flores de Otero, 426 U.S. 572, 595 n.26 (1976) ("The reason given for this [law] was that the Federal District Court in Puerto Rico 'is in its jurisdiction, powers, and responsibilities the same as the U.S. district courts in the (several) states'.").

[citation needed] As of January 2, 2024[update]: Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their district court.

The chief judge serves for a term of seven years, or until age 70, whichever occurs first.

The court statutorily comprised a single judge until 1961, when a second judgeship was authorized by Congress, although the position was not actually filled until 1965.