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U.S. District Courts for the Districts of West Virginia: Legislative History

June 11, 1864
13 Stat. 124
Congress reorganized the Western District of Virginia to conform to the boundaries of the new state of West Virginia and renamed it the District of West Virginia. The judge of the Western District of Virginia became judge of the district court in West Virginia and continued to exercise the powers authorized for the earlier court, including its circuit court jurisdiction in all matters except appeals and writs of error, which were the jurisdiction of the U.S. circuit court meeting in Lewisburg. The new district continued to be included in the Fourth Circuit.
February 6, 1889
25 Stat. 655
Congress transferred the circuit court jurisdiction of the district court in West Virginia to the circuit court.
January 22, 1901
31 Stat. 736
Congress divided West Virginia into two judicial districts, the Northern and the Southern, with a separate judgeship authorized for each district.
June 25, 1921
42 Stat. 67
One temporary judgeship authorized for the Southern District. This position was never made permanent.
June 22, 1936
49 Stat. 1805
One temporary judgeship authorized to serve both districts.
February 10, 1954
68 Stat. 8
Temporary judgeship authorized in 1936 to serve both districts was made permanent.
June 2, 1970
84 Stat. 294
One additional judgeship authorized for the Southern District.
October 20, 1978
92 Stat. 1629
One additional permanent judgeship and one temporary judgeship authorized for the Southern District.
January 14, 1983
96 Stat. 2601
The judgeship authorized to serve both districts was assigned to the Southern District exclusively and the temporary judgeship authorized in 1978 for the Southern District was reassigned to the Northern District and made permanent.
December 1, 1990
104 Stat. 5089
One additional judgeship authorized for the Northern District and one additional for the Southern District.

 

 

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