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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

Baseball's Reserve Clause and the "Antitrust Exemption" (posted 5/18/2022)
Native Prohibition in the Federal Courts (posted 3/1/2022)
The Breakup of "Ma Bell": United States v. AT&T (posted 2/1/2022)

Timelines of Federal Judicial History

Twitter Feed (@FedJudicialHist)

  • New FJC history resource! #DYK that congressional action has on occasion resulted in the reassignment of federal judgeships from one court to another? Our sortable table gives a comprehensive list of these instances. https://t.co/vfwFFBuLTT https://t.co/VG3V0EWkQG
    1 day 22 hours ago
  • 40/ For the Ninth Circuit, Harrison appointed William Gilbert (1892-1931), who had been a Portland, Oregon lawyer, state representative, and lecturer at University of Oregon Law School. Gilbert also became an inaugural member of the Conference of Senior Circuit Judges. /end https://t.co/Oh6GRHWWQF
    6 days 22 hours ago
  • 39/ For the Eighth Circuit, Harrison appointed Walter Sanborn (1892-1928), a former high school teacher in NH who had then practiced law and served as an alderman in St. Paul, Minnesota. He became an inaugural member of the Conference of Senior Circuit Judges in 1922. https://t.co/PDDckld7uZ
    6 days 22 hours ago
  • 38/ For the Seventh Circuit, Harrison appointed William A. Woods (1892-1901), an Indiana lawyer who had been a state representative and state circuit court and supreme court judge before Chester Arthur appointed him to the U.S. District Court for the District of Indiana in 1883. https://t.co/KcH4OWAORy
    6 days 22 hours ago
  • Our thread on "first" federal judges concludes today! https://t.co/3uDh3kE8vW
    6 days 22 hours 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This three-volume series presents historical documents related to significant debates about the federal judiciary.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.