You are here

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

Timelines of Federal Judicial History

Twitter Feed (@FedJudicialHist)

  • October 20: U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Federal Bar Association-Chicago Chapter, and Seventh Circuit Bar Association host The Chicago 7 Trial 50 Years Later: A Conversation with Trial Prosecutor Richard Schultz. Register: https://t.co/HqPftCtomZ https://t.co/7C9WWoV1Lx
    1 day 2 hours ago
  • The Sedition Act trial of U.S. Representative Matthew Lyon of Vermont began #OTD in 1798; learn more about the Sedition Act trials: https://t.co/41KfG0DOe2 https://t.co/ivatS9eDi4
    1 day 2 hours ago
  • Senior U.S. District Judge Lloyd D. George (D. Nevada) died yesterday at age 90 https://t.co/jMySjLW2z9 https://t.co/ouwaPVpV8I
    2 days 1 hour ago
  • Today we begin a new feature, Spotlight on Judicial History. It will consist of brief essays, posted periodically, on a wide variety of interesting topics related to federal court history. Our first entry: A Brief History of Circuit Riding: https://t.co/g9epwUfsVY https://t.co/3YIsXJYpmW
    2 days 3 hours ago
  • Jack Soble, who ran a Soviet spy ring in the U.S. for a decade, was sentenced for espionage, along with co-conspirators, by Judge Richard Levet of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York #OTD in 1957 https://t.co/fHZdlhyMe6
    2 days 3 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This three-volume series presents historical documents related to significant debates about the federal judiciary.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

Click here

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.