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Spotlight

Federal Judicial History

The Center conducts research and produces resources on the history of the judicial branch of the federal government.  These resources include compilations of historical data on the courts, information about judges and judicial administration, as well as publications on federal judicial history. The Center also maintains a biographical directory of Article III judges from 1789 to the present, engages in outreach and education on federal judicial history, and works to promote the preservation of the history of the judicial branch.

Spotlight on Judicial History

The 1957 Employers' Liability Cases (posted 9/1/2021)
Elkison v. Deliesseline: The South Carolina Negro Seaman Act of 1822 in Federal Court (posted 8/4/2021)
United States v. Santa Fe Pacific R. Co.: The Hualapai and Aboriginal Title in the Supreme Court (posted 7/6/2021)

Timelines of Federal Judicial History

Twitter Feed (@FedJudicialHist)

  • Senior U.S. District Judge Frederick L. Van Sickle (E.D. Wash.) died September 2 at age 78 https://t.co/i333w6Nzis
    1 day 1 hour ago
  • 17/ Congress has also continued to provide by statute the day that the Supreme Court shall begin its annual term. Since 1917 this has been on the first Monday in October (28 U.S.C. § 2). /end
    3 days 20 min ago
  • 16/ Most recently, in 2019, Congress added Flagstaff and Yuma to the list of locations in which the district court shall be held in Arizona: https://t.co/s02UokNDs0
    3 days 21 min ago
  • 15/ Congress has continued to provide by statute the places where federal courts shall be held, and the organization of judicial districts, as it has done since 1789.
    3 days 21 min ago
  • 14/ The change came at the request of the Judicial Conference of the United States, the policy-making body for the federal courts, which said, "the present statutory requirements for the holding of formal terms by the district courts are archaic and should be eliminated."
    3 days 22 min ago

Pages

Debates on the Federal Judiciary: A Documentary History

This three-volume series presents historical documents related to significant debates about the federal judiciary.

Volume I: 1787-1875
The first volume traces the long process of defining the judiciary within the relatively brief outline provided by the Constitution.

Volume II: 1875-1939
Volume II introduces readers to public debates on proposals to alter the organization, jurisdiction, and administration of the federal courts, as well as the tenure and authority of federal judges, during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. 

Volume III: 1939-2005
The concluding volume of the series covers debates concerning structural changes to the federal courts, criminal justice reform, proposed civil justice initiatives, and the discipline of federal judges.

Approaches to Federal Judicial History

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This volume presents a range of scholarly approaches to the field of federal judicial history. Essays by scholars and public historians evaluate the current state of the field and offer insights into new potential areas of study.

To submit questions about federal judicial history, email us at history@fjc.gov.