This booklet explains the provisions of the 1789 Judiciary Act and the compromises it embodies, reviews the evolution of the federal judicial system during the nineteenth century, and analyzes the conditions and debates that led to the passage of the Evarts Act in 1891, which established the three-tiered system that characterizes federal court structure today, and briefly reviews 20th century developments that help account for today's federal judicial system. It also includes twelve maps that illustrate the growth and evolution of the districts and circuits from 1789 to the present.