# United States Statutes at Large/Volume 2/9th Congress/2nd Session/Chapter 16

Chap. XVI.—An Act establishing Circuit Courts, and abridging the jurisdiction of the district courts in the district of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio.
Repeal of so much of any act as gives jurisdiction of circuit to the district courts of Kentucky, E. and W. Tennessee, and Ohio. Act of March 23, 1804, ch. 31, sec. 6. Districts established for the circuit courts. These districts to compose the seventh circuit. Sessions of the circuit courts, and places where to be held. Kentucky. Act of March 22, 1808, ch. 38, sec. 1, 2, 3, 4. Tennessee. Ohio. 1797, ch. 2. All the authority, &c. vested in the several circuit courts, vested in this court. Causes, &c. returnable to the circuit court and tried therein.Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That so much of any act or acts of Congress, as vests in the district courts of the United States, in the districts of Kentucky, East and West Tennessee and Ohio, the powers, authority and jurisdiction of the circuit courts of the United States, shall be, and the same is hereby repealed.
Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That for the purpose of holding therein the circuit courts, to be established by this act; the state of Kentucky shall constitute one district, the state of Tennessee one district, and the state of Ohio one district, and the said districts of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio, shall constitute and be denominated the seventh circuit. And there shall be holden annually in each district of the said circuit, two courts, to be called circuit courts, and to consist of one justice of the supreme court of the United States, and the judge of the district where such court shall be holden. And the sessions of the said courts, in the district of Kentucky, shall be held at Frankfort, and commence on the first Monday in May and November, annually; in the district of Tennessee, at Knoxville and Nashville, alternately, to commence on the first Monday in June and third Monday in October, annually, beginning at Nashville; and in the district of Ohio, at Chilicothe, to commence on the first Monday in January and September, annually. And the circuit court of Tennessee, shall designate at which of the two places where the said court is hereby directed to be holden, the office of the clerk thereof shall be kept.
Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That all the authority, powers and jurisdiction, vested in the several circuit courts of the United States, or the judges thereof, or either of them, shall be, and hereby are vested in, and may be exercised by the several circuit courts of the seventh circuit, and the judges thereof: and that all actions, causes, pleas, process, and other proceedings, relative to any cause, civil or criminal, which shall be returnable to, or depending in the several district courts of Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio, acting as circuit courts, on the first day of May ​next, shall be, and hereby are declared to be respectively transferred, returnable, and continued, to the several circuit courts constituted by this act, at the times herein appointed for the session of each of the said courts, and shall be heard, tried, and determined therein, in the same manner, and with the same effect, as if no change had been made hereby in the courts of the said district.The circuit courts of the seventh circuit to be governed by the same laws as other circuit courts. And the said circuit courts of the seventh circuit, shall be governed by the same laws and regulations as apply to the other circuit courts of the United States, and shall appoint clerks for the said courts respectively, who shall reside, and keep the records of the said courts, at the places of holding the courts, whereto they shall respectively belong, except as herein before provided, and shall perform the same duties, and be entitled to, and receive the same emoluments and fees, respectively, which are by law established for the clerks of the other circuit courts of the United States.
State of Tennessee to be divided into two districts, &c. East Tennessee.Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That the state of Tennessee shall be divided into two districts, for the purpose of holding district courts in the same, one to consist of that part thereof, which by the laws of the said state, now forms the districts of Washington and Hamilton, which shall be called the district of East Tennessee; and one other to consist of all that part of the state of Tennessee, which by the laws of the said state now forms the districts of Winchester, Mero and Robertson, which shall be called the district of West Tennessee;West Tennessee. and all the authority, powers and jurisdiction, vested in the several district courts of the United States, and the judges thereof, in those districts in which circuit courts are now held, shall be retained, and may be exercised by the several district courts of Kentucky, East and West Tennessee, and Ohio, and the several judges thereof. And the sessions of the said district courts shall, after the first day of May next, be as follows: in Kentucky, at Frankfort, two sessions, to commence on the first Mondays in June and December, annually;Ohio. in East Tennessee, at Knoxville, two sessions, to commence on the third Monday in April and second Monday in October, annually;Act of March 26, 1810, ch. 18. 1809, ch. 14. and at Nashville, two sessions, to commence on the fourth Mondays in May and November, annually; and in Ohio, at Chilicothe, three sessions, to commence on the first Mondays in February, June and October, annually; and all actions, causes, pleas, process, and other proceedings, relative to any cause, civil or criminal, which shall have been issued, and shall be returnable to, or depending in the said several district courts of the United States, acting as district courts, on the said first day of May next, shall be returned and held continued to the said several district courts, respectively, at the times herein before appointed for holding the same.
Supreme court to consist in future of seven judges, &c.Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That the supreme court of the United States shall hereafter consist of a chief justice, and six associate justices, any law to (the) contrary notwithstanding. And for this purpose there shall be appointed a sixth associate justice, to reside in the seventh circuit, whose duty it shall be, until he is otherwise allotted, to attend the circuit courts of the said seventh circuit, and the supreme court of the United States, and who shall take the same oath, and be entitled to the same salary as are required of, and provided for the other associate justices of the United States.
Approved, February 24, 1807.