Not a jury, and not the group that decides who wins a mass-injury case. It is also not the same thing as a class action. A multidistrict litigation panel is the federal body that decides whether similar lawsuits filed in different federal courts should be transferred to one judge for coordinated pretrial proceedings. In the United States, that body is the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, created under 28 U.S.C. § 1407.

Its job is administrative but powerful. When many people file separate lawsuits over the same product, disaster, or exposure, the panel can send those cases to one federal court so discovery, motions, and other early steps happen in a more consistent way. That can reduce duplicated work, conflicting rulings, and delay. The cases usually stay individual claims, even when they are grouped in an MDL.

For an injury claim, that decision can shape where the case is handled, how quickly evidence is exchanged, and whether early bellwether trials influence settlement talks. A Maryland claim tied to a nationwide event - such as a defective vehicle moving through the Port of Baltimore or a widespread product injury - may be swept into an MDL if it was filed in federal court. The panel does not decide compensation, but its transfer decision can strongly affect strategy, cost, and timing.