1A criminal case that falls under the jurisdiction of a federal court.
〔美律〕全国性大案（归联邦法院审理的刑事案件）
Example sentencesExamples
The federal appeals court said there is no reason the federal case cannot go forward at the same time.
In fact, circuit courts are the final venue for 99 percent of federal cases and most regulatory challenges.
The FBI has a decentralized command structure to facilitate prosecution of federal cases at the local field-office level.
Continued analysis of this important federal case will likely continue for some time.
If a fraud scheme happens entirely in Georgia, but happens to involve one letter sent to Florida because someone was on vacation there, why does that make it legitimately a federal case?
1.1informal A matter of great concern.
〈非正式〉重大事件
I'm not trying to make a federal case out of this, Christine, but you've got to do something
克里斯廷，我不想为此小题大做，但是你也得采取点行动吧。
Example sentencesExamples
You don't need to make a federal case out of it!
Teachers and administrators should not make a federal case out of it.
You make it out to be a federal case if I get too close to anyone.
That poor little girl, we could make a federal case out of her story.
We were not about to make a federal case out of it and neither did the waiter, who removed the offending dish and asked us what we would like as a replacement, no questions asked.
Definition of federal case in US English:
federal case
noun
US Law
1A criminal case that falls under the jurisdiction of a federal court.
〔美律〕全国性大案（归联邦法院审理的刑事案件）
Example sentencesExamples
If a fraud scheme happens entirely in Georgia, but happens to involve one letter sent to Florida because someone was on vacation there, why does that make it legitimately a federal case?
The FBI has a decentralized command structure to facilitate prosecution of federal cases at the local field-office level.
In fact, circuit courts are the final venue for 99 percent of federal cases and most regulatory challenges.
The federal appeals court said there is no reason the federal case cannot go forward at the same time.
Continued analysis of this important federal case will likely continue for some time.
1.1informal A matter of great concern or with dire consequences.
I'm not trying to make a federal case out of this, Christine, but you've got to do something
克里斯廷，我不想为此小题大做，但是你也得采取点行动吧。
Example sentencesExamples
You make it out to be a federal case if I get too close to anyone.
Teachers and administrators should not make a federal case out of it.
That poor little girl, we could make a federal case out of her story.
You don't need to make a federal case out of it!
We were not about to make a federal case out of it and neither did the waiter, who removed the offending dish and asked us what we would like as a replacement, no questions asked.