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sf-no-children"><a href="/publications" class="sf-depth-1">Publications Catalog</a></li></ul> </div> </div> </div> </header> <div class="l-main"> <div class="l-content" role="main"> <h2 class="element-invisible">You are here</h2><ul class="breadcrumb"><li><a href="/">Home</a></li><li><a href="/history">History of the Federal Judiciary</a></li><li><a href="/history/administration">Judicial Branch</a></li><li><a href="/history/legislation/congress-and-courts-landmark-legislation_OLD">Congress and the Courts: Landmark Legislation</a></li></ul> <a id="main-content"></a> <h1>Congress and the Courts: Landmark Legislation</h1> <div class="panel-flexible panels-flexible-flexible_66_33 clearfix" > <div class="panel-flexible-inside panels-flexible-flexible_66_33-inside"> <div class="panels-flexible-column panels-flexible-column-flexible_66_33-main panels-flexible-column-first"> <div class="inside panels-flexible-column-inside panels-flexible-column-flexible_66_33-main-inside panels-flexible-column-inside-first"> <div class="panels-flexible-region panels-flexible-region-flexible_66_33-center panels-flexible-region-first panels-flexible-region-last region-two-66-33-first h2.block-title"> <div class="inside panels-flexible-region-inside panels-flexible-region-flexible_66_33-center-inside panels-flexible-region-inside-first panels-flexible-region-inside-last"> <div class="panel-pane pane-views pane-landmark-legislation"> <div class="view view-landmark-legislation view-id-landmark_legislation view-display-id-legislation_list view-dom-id-420b89f1086608924c9a06332eba7993"> <div class="view-content"> <div class="views-row views-row-1 views-row-odd views-row-first"> <div class="views-field views-field-nothing"> <p class="field-content"><strong>1787</strong> <br /> <a href="/history/legislation/landmark-legislation-us-constitution-article-iii">Article III of the U.S. Constitution provided the outline of the judicial branch of government.</a></p> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-2 views-row-even"> <div class="views-field views-field-nothing"> <p class="field-content"><strong>1789</strong> <br /> <a href="/history/legislation/landmark-legislation-judiciary-act-1789-0">The Judiciary Act of 1789 established a federal court system.</a></p> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-3 views-row-odd"> <div class="views-field views-field-nothing"> <p class="field-content"><strong>1801</strong> <br /> <a href="/history/legislation/landmark-legislation-judiciary-act-1801">The Judiciary Act of 1801 reorganized the federal judiciary and established the first circuit judgeships.</a></p> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-4 views-row-even"> <div class="views-field views-field-nothing"> <p class="field-content"><strong>1802</strong> <br /> <a href="/history/legislation/landmark-legislation-judiciary-act-1802">The Judiciary Act of 1802 reorganized the federal courts following repeal of the 1801 act.</a></p> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-5 views-row-odd"> <div class="views-field views-field-nothing"> <p class="field-content"><strong>1807</strong> <br /> <a href="/history/legislation/landmark-legislation-seventh-circuit">Establishment of the Seventh Circuit and a seventh seat on the Supreme Court.</a></p> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-6 views-row-even"> <div class="views-field views-field-nothing"> <p class="field-content"><strong>1837</strong> <br /> <a href="/history/legislation/landmark-legislation-eighth-and-ninth-circuits">Establishment of the Eighth and Ninth Circuits and additional seats on the Supreme Court.</a></p> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-7 views-row-odd"> <div class="views-field views-field-nothing"> <p class="field-content"><strong>1855</strong> <br /> <a href="/history/legislation/landmark-legislation-california-circuit">Establishment of a California Circuit.</a></p> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-8 views-row-even"> <div class="views-field views-field-nothing"> <p class="field-content"><strong>1863</strong> <br /> <a href="/history/legislation/landmark-legislation-tenth-circuit">Establishment of a Tenth Circuit and a tenth seat on the Supreme Court.</a></p> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-9 views-row-odd"> <div class="views-field views-field-nothing"> <p class="field-content"><strong>1866</strong> <br /> <a href="/history/legislation/landmark-legislation-circuit-reorganization">Reorganization of the judicial circuits and reduction in the size of the Supreme Court.</a></p> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-10 views-row-even"> <div class="views-field views-field-nothing"> <p class="field-content"><strong>1869</strong> <br /> <a href="/history/legislation/landmark-legislation-circuit-judgeships">Establishment of circuit judgeships and setting the number of the Supreme Court seats at nine.</a></p> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-11 views-row-odd"> <div class="views-field views-field-nothing"> <p class="field-content"><strong>1875</strong> <br /> <a href="/history/legislation/landmark-legislation-jurisdiction-and-removal-act">Authorization for the federal courts to exercise the full jurisdiction allowed under the Constitution.</a></p> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-12 views-row-even"> <div class="views-field views-field-nothing"> <p class="field-content"><strong>1891</strong> <br /> <a href="/history/legislation/landmark-legislation-us-circuit-courts-appeals">Establishment of the U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals.</a></p> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-13 views-row-odd"> <div class="views-field views-field-nothing"> <p class="field-content"><strong>1911</strong> <br /> <a href="/history/legislation/landmark-legislation-abolition-us-circuit-courts">Abolition of the U.S. Circuit Courts as part of the recodification of laws relating to the federal judiciary.</a></p> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-14 views-row-even"> <div class="views-field views-field-nothing"> <p class="field-content"><strong>1922</strong> <br /> <a href="/history/legislation/landmark-legislation-conference-senior-circuit-judges">Establishment of the Conference of Senior Circuit Judges (later the Judicial Conference of the United States).</a></p> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-15 views-row-odd"> <div class="views-field views-field-nothing"> <p class="field-content"><strong>1925</strong> <br /> <a href="/history/legislation/landmark-legislation-judges-bill-0">The Judges' Bill expanded the jurisdiction of the Courts of Appeals and allowed the Supreme Court to determine many of the cases it would hear.</a></p> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-16 views-row-even"> <div class="views-field views-field-nothing"> <p class="field-content"><strong>1929</strong> <br /> <a href="/history/legislation/landmark-legislation-tenth-circuit-0">Division of the Eighth Circuit and establishment of a Tenth Circuit.</a></p> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-17 views-row-odd"> <div class="views-field views-field-nothing"> <p class="field-content"><strong>1939</strong> <br /> <a href="/history/legislation/landmark-legislation-administrative-office-us-courts">Establishment of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.</a></p> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-18 views-row-even"> <div class="views-field views-field-nothing"> <p class="field-content"><strong>1967</strong> <br /> <a href="/history/legislation/landmark-legislation-federal-judicial-center-0">Establishment of the Federal Judicial Center.</a></p> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-19 views-row-odd"> <div class="views-field views-field-nothing"> <p class="field-content"><strong>1968</strong> <br /> <a href="/history/legislation/landmark-legislation-federal-magistrates-act">The Federal Magistrates Act.</a></p> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-20 views-row-even"> <div class="views-field views-field-nothing"> <p class="field-content"><strong>1978</strong> <br /> <a href="/history/legislation/landmark-legislation-us-bankruptcy-courts">Establishment of U.S. Bankruptcy Courts.</a></p> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-21 views-row-odd"> <div class="views-field views-field-nothing"> <p class="field-content"><strong>1980</strong> <br /> <a href="/history/legislation/landmark-legislation-eleventh-circuit">Division of the Fifth Circuit and establishment of an Eleventh Circuit.</a></p> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-22 views-row-even views-row-last"> <div class="views-field views-field-nothing"> <p class="field-content"><strong>1982</strong> <br /> <a href="/history/legislation/landmark-legislation-federal-circuit">Establishment of the Federal Circuit.</a></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="panels-flexible-column panels-flexible-column-flexible_66_33-1 panels-flexible-column-last "> <div class="inside panels-flexible-column-inside panels-flexible-column-flexible_66_33-1-inside panels-flexible-column-inside-last"> <div class="panels-flexible-region panels-flexible-region-flexible_66_33-right panels-flexible-region-first panels-flexible-region-last region-two-66-33-second"> <div class="inside panels-flexible-region-inside panels-flexible-region-flexible_66_33-right-inside panels-flexible-region-inside-first panels-flexible-region-inside-last"> <div class="panel-pane pane-views pane-history-additional-menus history-sidebar-block"> <h2 class="pane-title">Congress and the Courts</h2> <div class="view view-history-additional-menus view-id-history_additional_menus view-display-id-congress sidebar view-dom-id-6cf96024dbd81c49e6a92cc5b87db32e"> <div class="view-content"> <div class="views-row views-row-1 views-row-odd views-row-first"> <div class="views-field views-field-historytitle"> <span class="field-content">Landmark Legislation</span> </div> </div> <div class="views-row views-row-2 views-row-even views-row-last"> <div class="views-field views-field-historytitle"> <span class="field-content"><a href="/history/administration/congress-and-courts-committees-judiciary">Committees on the Judiciary</a></span> </div> </div> </div> <div class="view-footer"> <p><a href="/content/federal-judiciary-appropriations-1792-2010-0" target="_blank">Judiciary Appropriations</a><br /> <a href="/node/10971856" target="_blank">Legislative History of U.S. Courts of Appeals</a></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <footer class="l-footer" role="contentinfo"> <div class="l-region l-region--footer"> <div id="block-addtoany-addtoany-button" class="block block--addtoany block-addtoany-addtoany-button block--addtoany-addtoany-button"> <div class="block__content"> <span class="a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_24 a2a_target addtoany_list" id="da2a_1"> <a class="a2a_dd addtoany_share_save" 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