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Judgeship Reassignments

As part of its power to establish Article III federal courts and judgeships, Congress has on occasion reassigned judgeships to different courts or altered them in other ways. Some of the reasons for reassignments have been the abolition of a court and the transfer of its judges to a new court; the splitting of a judicial circuit to establish a new circuit; the reorganization of judicial districts within a state; and a change in the judicial districts served by an individual judgeship. The chart below provides information on all Article III judgeship reassignments. The data can be sorted by clicking on the header of any column.

Further details about district reorganization and changes to individual judgeships on the U.S. district courts can be found on the legislative history page for each state (e.g., Alabama). Biographies of judges who were reassigned can be located through the advanced search of the Biographical Directory of Article III Federal Judges, 1789-present (Senior Status/Termination—>Termination Type—>Reassignment).

Former Judgeship(s) New Judgeships(s) Year Statute Number Reason
North Carolina, District of North Carolina, Edenton, New Bern, and Wilmington Districts of 1794 1 Stat. 395 1 district reorganization
North Carolina, Edenton, New Bern, and Wilmington Districts of North Carolina, District of  1797 1 Stat. 517 1 district reorganization
New Jersey, District of New Jersey, Eastern and Western Districts of  1801 2 Stat. 89 1 district reorganization
North Carolina, District of  North Carolina, Albemarle, Cape Fear, and Pamptico Districts of 1801 2 Stat. 89 1 district reorganization
New Jersey, Eastern and Western Districts of  New Jersey, District of 1802 2 Stat. 132 1 district reorganization
Tennessee, District of Tennessee, Eastern and Western Districts of  1802 2 Stat. 165 1 district reorganization
New York, District of  New York, Northern District of 1814 3 Stat. 120 1 district reorganization
New York, District of New York, Southern District of  1814 3 Stat. 120 1 district reorganization
Pennsylvania, District of Pennsylvania, Eastern District of  1818 3 Stat. 462 1 district reorganization
Virginia, District of Virginia, Eastern District of  1819 3 Stat. 478 1 district reorganization
Louisiana, District of Louisiana, Eastern and Western Districts of 1823 3 Stat. 774 1 district reorganization
Alabama, District of Alabama, Northern and Southern Districts of  1824 4 Stat. 9 1 district reorganization
Mississippi, District of Mississippi, Northern and Southern Districts of 1838 5 Stat. 247 1 district reorganization
Louisiana, Eastern and Western Districts of  Louisiana, District of  1845 5 Stat. 772 1 district reorganization
Florida, District of  Florida, Northern District of  1847 9 Stat. 131 1 district reorganization
Georgia, District of  Georgia, Northern and Southern Districts of 1848 9 Stat. 280 1 district reorganization
Louisiana, District of  Louisiana, Eastern District of  1849 9 Stat. 401 1 district reorganization
Arkansas, District of  Arkansas, Eastern and Western Districts of 1851 9 Stat. 594 1 district reorganization
California, Northern and Southern Districts of  California, Northern District of  1854 10 Stat. 265 1 individual judgeship change
Ohio, District of  Ohio, Southern District of  1855 10 Stat. 604 1 district reorganization
Illinois, District of  Illinois, Northern District of  1855 10 Stat. 606 1 district reorganization
Texas, District of  Texas, Eastern District of  1857 11 Stat. 164 1 district reorganization
Missouri, District of  Missouri, Western District of  1857 11 Stat. 197 1 district reorganization
Michigan, District of  Michigan, Eastern District of  1863 12 Stat. 660 1 district reorganization
Virginia, Eastern District of  Virginia, District of  1864 13 Stat. 124 1 district reorganization1
Virginia, Western District of  West Virginia, District of  1864 13 Stat. 124 1 district reorganization1
California, Northern District of  California, District of  1866 14 Stat. 300 1 district reorganization
Louisiana, Eastern District of Louisiana, District of  1866 14 Stat. 400 1 district reorganization
Wisconsin, District of  Wisconsin, Eastern District of  1870 16 Stat. 171 1 district reorganization
Virginia, District of  Virginia, Eastern District of  1871 16 Stat. 403 1 district reorganization
Arkansas, Eastern and Western Districts of  Arkansas, Eastern District of  1871 16 Stat. 471 1 individual judgeship change
North Carolina, Albemarle, Cape Fear, and Pamptico Districts of North Carolina, Eastern District of  1872 17 Stat. 215 1 district reorganization
Tennessee, Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of  Tennessee, Eastern and Middle Districts of  1878 20 Stat. 132 1 individual judgeship change
Louisiana, District of  Louisiana, Eastern District of  1881 21 Stat. 507 1 district reorganization
Georgia, Northern and Southern Districts of  Georgia, Southern District of  1882 22 Stat. 47 1 individual judgeship change
Iowa, District of  Iowa, Southern District of  1882 22 Stat. 172 1 district reorganization
Alabama, Middle, Northern, and Southern Districts of Alabama, Middle and Northern Districts of  1886 24 Stat. 213 1 individual judgeship change
California, District of  California, Northern District of  1886 24 Stat. 308 1 district reorganization
West Virginia, District of  West Virginia, Northern District of  1901 31 Stat. 736 1 district reorganization
Kentucky, District of  Kentucky, Western District of  1901 31 Stat. 781 1 district reorganization
Washington, District of  Washington, Western District of  1905 33 Stat. 824 1 district reorganization
South Carolina, District of  South Carolina, Eastern and Western Districts of  1912 36 Stat. 1087 1 district reorganization
Circuit, Second Circuit, Fourth 1916 36 Stat. 539 1 at-large judgeship change2
Oklahoma, Eastern District of  Oklahoma, Northern District of  1925 43 Stat. 945 1 district reorganization
Indiana, District of  Indiana, Northern District of  1928 45 Stat. 437 1 district reorganization
Indiana, District of  Indiana, Southern District of  1928 45 Stat. 437 1 district reorganization
Circuit, Seventh Circuits, Second and Sixth 1929 36 Stat. 539 1 at-large judgeship change2
Circuit, Eighth  Circuit, Tenth  1929 45 Stat. 1346 2 circuit split
Mississippi, Northern and Southern Districts of  Mississippi, Southern District of  1929 45 Stat. 1422 1 individual judgeship change
Circuits, Second and Sixth  Circuit, Second  1930 36 Stat. 539 1 at-large judgeship change2
Alabama, Middle and Northern Districts of  Alabama, Middle District of  1936 49 Stat. 1476 1 individual judgeship change
Tennessee, Eastern and Middle Districts of  Tennessee, Eastern District of  1940 54 Stat. 1216 1 individual judgeship change
Florida, Northern and Southern Districts of  Florida, Northern District of  1947 54 Stat. 219 1 individual judgeship change
District of Columbia, District of (chief justice) District of Columbia, District of 1948 62 Stat. 869 1 statutory position change3
Circuit, District of Columbia (chief justice) Circuit, District of Columbia  1948 62 Stat. 869 1 statutory position change3
Court of Customs and Patent Appeals (presiding judge) Court of Customs and Patent Appeals (chief judge) 1948 62 Stat. 889 1 statutory position change4
Court of Claims (chief justice) Court of Claims (chief judge) 1948 62 Stat. 898 1 statutory position change4
Pennsylvania, Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of  Pennsylvania, Middle District of  1955 68 Stat. 8 1 individual judgeship change
Washington, Eastern and Western Districts of  Washington, Western District of  1961 75 Stat. 80 1 individual judgeship change
Florida, Northern and Southern Districts of  Florida, Middle District of  1962 76 Stat. 247 1 district reorganization
Florida, Southern District of  Florida, Middle District of  1962 76 Stat. 247 3 district reorganization
South Carolina, Eastern District of  South Carolina, District of  1965 79 Stat. 951 1 district reorganization
South Carolina, Eastern and Western Districts of  South Carolina, District of  1965 79 Stat. 951 2 district reorganization
South Carolina, Western District of  South Carolina, District of  1965 79 Stat. 951 1 district reorganization
California, Northern District of  California, Eastern District of  1966 80 Stat. 75 2 district reorganization
California, Southern District of  California, Central District of  1966 80 Stat. 75 105 district reorganization
California, Southern District of  California, Eastern District of  1966 80 Stat. 75 1 district reorganization
Alabama, Middle and Southern Districts of  Alabama, Southern District of  1970 84 Stat. 294 1 individual judgeship change
Louisiana, Eastern District of  Louisiana, Middle District of  1972 85 Stat. 741 1 district reorganization
Washington, Eastern and Western Districts of  Washington, Western District of  1978 92 Stat. 1629 1 individual judgeship change
Illinois, Eastern District of  Illinois, Central District of  1979 93 Stat. 6 15 district reorganization
Illinois, Eastern District of  Illinois, Southern District of  1979 93 Stat. 6 15 district reorganization
Illinois, Southern District of  Illinois, Central District of  1979 93 Stat. 6 2 district reorganization
Customs Court Court of International Trade 1980 94 Stat. 1727 95 abolition/creation of court
Circuit, Fifth  Circuit, Eleventh 1981 94 Stat. 1994 125 circuit split
Court of Claims Circuit, Federal  1982 96 Stat. 25 65 abolition/creation of court
Court of Customs and Patent Appeals Circuit, Federal  1982 96 Stat. 25 55 abolition/creation of court
West Virginia, Northern and Southern Districts of  West Virginia, Southern District of  1983 96 Stat. 2601 1 individual judgeship change
West Virginia, Southern District of  West Virginia, Northern District of  1983 96 Stat. 2601 1 individual judgeship change
Arkansas, Eastern and Western Districts of  Arkansas, Eastern District of  1990 104 Stat. 5089 25 individual judgeship change
Iowa, Northern and Southern Districts of  Iowa, Northern District of  1990 104 Stat. 5089 1 individual judgeship change
Oklahoma, Eastern, Northern, and Western Districts of  Oklahoma, Western District of  1990 104 Stat. 5089 1 individual judgeship change

1. After granting statehood to West Virginia in 1863, Congress in 1864 reorganized the Western District of Virginia as the District of West Virginia. The Eastern District of Virginia was reorganized as the District of Virginia. 
2. The 1910 statute creating the Commerce Court provided that the court's five judges would serve simultaneously on the U.S. courts of appeals as judges at-large, whose circuit assignments could be changed by order of the chief justice of the United States.
3. In the Judicial Code of 1948, Congress created the position of chief judge—a rotating office governed by seniority rules—for the U.S. district courts and U.S. courts of appeals. To bring the District of Columbia's federal courts into harmony with others, Congress eliminated their separate statutory chief justice positions.
4. As part of an overall effort to standardize terminology in the Judicial Code of 1948, Congress renamed the presiding judge of the Court of Customs and Patent Appeals and the chief justice of the Court of Claims as chief judges.
5. In the instances noted here, the reassignment of active judgeships entailed the reassignment of one or more judges on senior status as well.

Judges

Biographical Directory of Article III Federal Judges
Bankruptcy Judgeships
Magistrate Judgeships
Diversity on the Bench
Judicial Salaries
Unsuccessful Nominations and Recess Appointments
Impeachments of Federal Judges
Judgeship Reassignments