| June 11, 1864 13 Stat. 124 |
Congress reorganized the Western District of Virginia to conform to the boundaries of the new state of West Virginia and renamed it the District of West Virginia. The judge of the Western District of Virginia became judge of the district court in West Virginia and continued to exercise the powers authorized for the earlier court, including its circuit court jurisdiction in all matters except appeals and writs of error, which were the jurisdiction of the U.S. circuit court meeting in Lewisburg. The new district continued to be included in the Fourth Circuit. |
| February 6, 1889 25 Stat. 655 |
Congress transferred the circuit court jurisdiction of the district court in West Virginia to the circuit court. |
| January 22, 1901 31 Stat. 736 |
Congress divided West Virginia into two judicial districts, the Northern and the Southern, with a separate judgeship authorized for each district. |
| June 25, 1921 42 Stat. 67 |
One temporary judgeship authorized for the Southern District. This position was never made permanent. |
| June 22, 1936 49 Stat. 1805 |
One temporary judgeship authorized to serve both districts. |
| February 10, 1954 68 Stat. 8 |
Temporary judgeship authorized in 1936 to serve both districts was made permanent. |
| June 2, 1970 84 Stat. 294 |
One additional judgeship authorized for the Southern District. |
| October 20, 1978 92 Stat. 1629 |
One additional permanent judgeship and one temporary judgeship authorized for the Southern District. |
| January 14, 1983 96 Stat. 2601 |
The judgeship authorized to serve both districts was assigned to the Southern District exclusively and the temporary judgeship authorized in 1978 for the Southern District was reassigned to the Northern District and made permanent. |
| December 1, 1990 104 Stat. 5089 |
One additional judgeship authorized for the Northern District and one additional for the Southern District. |