United States Courts of Appeals - History

History

The Judiciary Act of 1789 established three circuits, which were groups of judicial districts in which United States circuit courts were established. Each circuit court consisted of two Supreme Court justices and the local district judge; the three circuits existed solely for the purpose of assigning the justices to a group of circuit courts. Some districts (generally the ones most difficult for an itinerant justice to reach) did not have a circuit court; in these districts the district court exercised the original jurisdiction of a circuit court. As new states were admitted to the Union, Congress often did not create circuit courts for them for a number of years.

The Midnight Judges Act reorganized the districts into six circuits, and created circuit judgeships so that Supreme Court justices would no longer have to ride circuit. This Act, however, was repealed in March 1802, and Congress provided that the former circuit courts would be revived as of July 1 of that year. But it then passed the new Judiciary Act of 1802 in April, so that the revival of the old courts never took effect. The 1802 Act restored circuit riding, but with only one justice to a circuit; it therefore created six new circuits, but with slightly different compositions than the 1801 Act. These six circuits later were augmented by others. Until 1866, each new circuit (except the short-lived California Circuit) was accompanied by a newly-created Supreme Court seat.

State Judicial District(s) created Circuit assignment(s)
New Hampshire 1789 Eastern, 1789–1801
1st, 1801–
Massachusetts 1789 Eastern, 1789–1801
1st, 1801–
Maine 1789 1st, 1801–1802
1st, 1820–
Rhode Island 1790 Eastern, 1790–1801
1st, 1801–
Connecticut 1789 Eastern, 1789–1801
2nd, 1801–
New York 1789 Eastern, 1789–1801
2nd, 1801–
New Jersey 1789 Middle, 1789–1801
3rd, 1801–
Pennsylvania 1789 Middle, 1789–1801
3rd, 1801–
Delaware 1789 Middle, 1789–1801
3rd, 1801–1802
4th, 1802–1866
3rd, 1866–
Maryland 1789 Middle, 1789–1801
4th, 1801–
Virginia 1789 Middle, 1789–1801
4th, 1801–1802
5th, 1802–1842
4th, 1842–
Kentucky 1789 6th, 1801–1802
7th, 1807–1837
8th, 1837–1863
6th, 1863–
North Carolina 1790 Southern, 1790–1801
5th, 1801–1842
6th, 1842–1863
4th, 1863–
South Carolina 1789 Southern, 1789–1801
5th, 1801–1802
6th, 1802–1863
5th, 1863–1866
4th, 1866–
Georgia 1789 Southern, 1789–1801
5th, 1801–1802
6th, 1802–1863
5th, 1863–1981
11th, 1981–
Vermont 1791 Eastern, 1791–1801
2nd, 1801–
Tennessee 1796 6th, 1801–1802
7th, 1807–1837
8th, 1837–1863
6th, 1863–
Ohio 1801 (abolished 1802) 6th, 1801–1802
Ohio 1803 7th, 1807–1866
6th, 1866–
Louisiana 1812 9th, 1837–1842 (Eastern District)
5th, 1842–1863
6th, 1863–1866
5th, 1866–
Indiana 1816 7th, 1837–
Mississippi 1817 9th, 1837–1863
5th, 1863–
Illinois 1818 7th, 1837–1863
8th, 1863–1866
7th, 1866–
Alabama 1819 9th, 1837–1842
5th, 1842–1981
11th, 1981–
Missouri 1821 8th, 1837–1863
9th, 1863–1866
8th, 1866–
Arkansas 1836 9th, 1837–1851
9th, 1851–1863 (Eastern District)
6th, 1863–1866 (Eastern District)
8th, 1866–
Michigan 1837 7th, 1837–1863
8th, 1863–1866
6th, 1866–
Florida 1845 5th, 1863–1981
11th, 1981–
Texas 1845 6th, 1863–1866
5th, 1866–
Iowa 1846 9th, 1863–1866
8th, 1866–
Wisconsin 1848 8th, 1863–1866
7th, 1866–
California 1850 California Circuit, 1855–1863
10th, 1863–1866
9th, 1866–
Minnesota 1858 9th, 1863–1866
8th, 1866–
Oregon 1859 10th, 1863–1866
9th, 1866–
Kansas 1861 9th, 1863–1866
8th, 1866–1929
10th, 1929–
West Virginia 1863 4th, 1863–
Nevada 1864 9th, 1866–
Nebraska 1867 8th, 1867–
Colorado 1876 8th, 1876–1929
10th, 1929–
North Dakota 1889 8th, 1889–
South Dakota 1889 8th, 1889–
Montana 1889 9th, 1889–
Washington 1889 9th, 1889–
Idaho 1890 9th, 1890–
Wyoming 1890 8th, 1890–1929
10th, 1929–
Utah 1896 8th, 1896–1929
10th, 1929–
Oklahoma 1907 8th, 1907–1929
10th, 1929–
New Mexico 1912 8th, 1912–1929
10th, 1929–
Arizona 1912 9th, 1912–
District of Columbia 1948 District of Columbia Circuit, 1948–
Alaska 1959 9th, 1959–
Hawaii 1959 9th, 1959–
Puerto Rico 1966 1st, 1966–
Guam
Virgin Islands
Philippines 1898
Panama Canal Zone

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