The Federal Judicial History Office developed these materials to assist judges and court staff who wish to speak to groups about various aspects of the history of the federal courts. Three of the units—Constitutional Origins of the Federal Judiciary, Establishing a Federal Judiciary, and Judicial Independence and the Federal Courts—were created in 2005–2007. The other units, which are in a somewhat different format, were added in 2026.

The newer units include a roughly one-page PDF summary of the subject titled, “Topic at a Glance.” Reading this document is not necessary to understanding the rest of the unit but may help the reader get a quick overview of the topic.

The heart of each unit is presented as an outline. This format was chosen to make it simple for potential speakers to choose the subtopics and specific points they might wish to include in a presentation. The full outlines are followed by a gallery of downloadable images for use in a PowerPoint presentation; links to related resources on the FJC’s History of the Federal Judiciary website; a further reading list; and excerpts of historical documents that could be handed out to audience members or incorporated into a presentation. A link to the entire unit as a single PDF is available as well.