United States District Court for the District of Illinois

The United States District Court for the District of Illinois is an extinct United States federal court.

It was established by a statute passed by the United States Congress on March 3, 1819, whereby Illinois was organized as a judicial district. The act established a single office for a judge to preside over the court. Initially, the court was not within any existing judicial circuit, and appeals from the court were taken directly to the United States Supreme Court. In 1837, Congress created the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, placing it in Chicago, Illinois and giving it jurisdiction over the District of Illinois. The District itself was eliminated by a statute passed on February 13, 1855, under which it was subdivided into two smaller districts - the Northern and the Southern. The latter statute provided for one judge to sit in each district.

References

* [http://www.fjc.gov/history/home.nsf/page/usdc_il_leg U.S. District Courts of Illinois - Legislative history]