pectively, and to continue fo long as they shall
remain in office, and to be paid quarterly out
of the treasury of the United States.

FREDERICK AUGUSTUS MUHLENBERG,
Speaker of the House of Reprefentatives.

JOHN ADAMS, Vice-Prefident of the United States,
and Prefident of the Senate.

Approved, September the 24th, 1789:

GEORGE WASHINGTON,

Prefident of the United States.

CHAPTER XX.

An Act to establish the Judicial Courts of the

Section 1.

B

United States.

Supreme

affociates..

E it enacted by the Senate and Houfe of Reprefentatives of the United States of America in Congress affembled, court, chief That the fupreme court of the United States juftice, five fhall confift of a chief justice and five associate juftices, any four of whom shall be a quorum, and shall hold annually at the feat of government two feffions, the one commencing the firft Two feffi Monday of February, and the other the firft ly. Monday of Auguft. That the affociate juftices fhall have precedence according to the date of their commiffions, or when the commiffions of two or more of them bear date on the fame day, according to their respective ages.

ons annual.

Sect. 2. And be it further enacted, That the Thirteen United States fhall be, and they hereby are di- diftricts.. vided into thirteen diftricts, to be limited and called as follows, to wit; one to confift of that part of the state of Maffachusetts which lies easterly of the state of New-Hampshire, and to

Gions.

be called Main District; one to confist of the ftate of New-Hampshire, and to be called NewHampshire District; one to confift of the remaining part of the state of Maffachusetts, and to be called Maffachusetts District; one to confift of the ftate of Connecticut, and to be called Connecticut District; one to confift of the state of New-York, and to be called NewYork Diftri&t; one to confift of the state of New-Jerfey, and to be called New-Jersey Diftrict; one to confift of the state of PennsylvaTheir diri- nia, and to be called Pennsylvania District; one to confift of the ftate of Delaware, and to be called Delaware District; one to confift of the ftate of Maryland, and to be called Maryland District; one to confift of the state of Virginia, except that part called the District of Kentucky, and to be called Virginia District; one to confift of the remaining part of the state of Virginia, and to be called Kentucky District; one to confift of the ftate of South-Carolina, and to be called the South-Carolina District and one to confift of the ftate of Georgia, and to be called Georgia District..

court in

Four feffi

ons

;

Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That there be a court called a Diftrict Court, in each of A diftrict the aforementioned districts, to confift of one each diftrict judge, who fhall refide in the district for which he is appointed,and fhall be called a District Judge, and fhall hold annually four sessions, the Os annual firft of which to commence as follows, to wit; ly in a dif- in the districts of New-York and of New-Jersey and when on the first, in the diftrict of Pennfylvania on the fecond, in the diftrict of Connecticut on the third, and in the diftrict of Delaware on the fourth Tuefdays of November next; in the dif tricts of Maffachusetts, of Main, and of Maryland, on the first; in the district of Georgia,

trict;

held.

on the fecond, and in the diftricts of New Hampshire, of Virginia, and of Kentucky, on the third Tuefdays of December next; and the other three feffions progreffively in the refpec tive districts on the like Tuesdays of every third calendar month afterwards, and in the diftrict of South-Carolina, on the third Monday in March and September, the first Monday in July, and the fecond Monday of December of each and every year, commencing in December next; and that the diftrict judge fhall have pow- special dif er to hold fpecial courts at his difcretion. That trict courts, the ftated diftrict court fhall be held at the places following, to wit, in the district of Main, at Portland and Pownalborough alternately, beginning at the firft; in the district of NewHampfhire, at Exeter and Portsmouth alternately, beginning at the first ; in the district of Maffachusetts, at Bofton and Salem alternately, beginning at the first; in the district of Connecticut, alternately at Hartford and New-Haven, beginning at the firft; in the district of New-York, at New-York; in the district of New-Jersey, alternately at New-Brunswick and Burlington, beginning at the firft; in the dif trict of Pennfylvania, at Philadelphia and YorkTown alternately, beginning at the first ; in the diftrict of Delaware, alternately at Newcastle and Dover, beginning at the first ; in the diftrict of Maryland, alternately at Baltimore and Eafton, beginning at the firft; in the district of Virginia, alternately at Richmond and Williamsburgh, beginning at the firft; in the dif trict of Kentucky, at Harrodsburgh; in the diftrict of South-Carolina, at Charleston; and in the diftrict of Georgia, alternately at Savan- Special nah and Augufta, beginning at the firft; and courts, that the special courts fhall be held at the fame VOL. I.

G

where held.

place in each district as the stated courts, or in districts that have two, at either of them, in the difcretion of the judge, or at fuch other place in the district, as the nature of the business and his discretion fhall direct. And that in the diftricts that have but one place for holding the district court, the records thereof shall be kept. cords kept. at that place; and in districts that have two, at that place in each district which the judge shall

Where re

cuits,&how

divided.

appoint.

Three cir- Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That the before-mentioned diftricts, except those of Main and Kentucky, fhall be divided into three circuits, and be called the eastern, the middle and the fouthern circuit. That the eastern circuit fhall confift of the districts of New-Hampshire, Maffachusetts, Connecticut and New-York; that the middle circuit fhall confift of the districts of New-Jerfey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Virginia; and that the fouthern circuit fhall confift of the districts of South-Carolina and Georgia, and that there shall be held annually in each district of said circuits, two courts which fhall be called circuit courts, and fhall confift of any two juftices of the fupreme court, and the district judge of fuch diftri&s, any two of whom fhall conftitute a quorum: Provided, That no district judge fhall give a vote in any cafe of appeal or error from his own decifion; but may affign the reasons of fuch his decifion.

First feflion

Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That the of the cir- first feffion of the faid circuit court in the fevecuit courts. ral diftricts fhall commence at the times follow

ing, to wit; in New-Jerfey on the fecond, in New-York on the fourth, in Pennsylvania on the eleventh, in Connecticut on the twenty-fecond, and in Delaware on the twenty-feventh days of April next; in Maffachusetts on the

third, in Maryland on the feventh, in South- First feffion Carolina on the twelfth, in New-Hampfhire on of the cirthe twentieth, in Virginia on the twenty-fecond, cuit courts. and in Georgia on the twenty-eighth days of May next, and the fubfequent feffions in the respective districts on the like days of every fixth calendar month afterwards, except in SouthCarolina, where the feffion of the faid court fhall commence on the first, and in Georgia whereit fhall commence on the feventeenth day of October, and except when any of those days fhall happen on a Sunday, and then the feffion fhall commence on the next day following. And the feffions of the faid circuit court fhall be held in the district of New-Hampfhire, at Portsmouth and Exeter alternately, beginning at the firft; in the district of Maffachusetts, at Bofton; in the diftrict of Connecticut, alternately at Hartford and New-Haven, beginning at the laft; in the diftrict of New-York, alternately at NewYork and Albany, beginning at the first; in the district of New-Jerfey, at Trenton; in the district of Pennsylvania, alternately at Philadelphia and York-Town, beginning at the first; in the district of Delaware, alternately at Newcastle and Dover, beginning at the first ; in the diftrict of Maryland, alternately at Annapolis and Easton, beginning at the firft; in the diftrict of Virginia, alternately at Charlottesville and Williamsburgh, beginning at the first ; in the district of South-Carolina, alternately at Columbia and Charleston, beginning at the firft; and in the district of Georgia, alternately at Savannah and Augufta, beginning at the first. And the circuit courts fhall have power to hold fpecial feffions for the trial of criminal causes at any other time at their difcretion, or at the dif- Special fef cretion of the fupreme court.

Circuit

courts.

fions.