United States Code (Last Updated: May 24, 2014) |
Title 28. JUDICIARY AND JUDICIAL PROCEDURE |
Part I. ORGANIZATION OF COURTS |
Chapter 5. DISTRICT COURTS |
§ 118. Pennsylvania
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Pennsylvania is divided into three judicial districts to be known as the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Pennsylvania.
Eastern District
(a) The Eastern District comprises the counties of Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, and Philadelphia.
Court for the Eastern District shall be held at Allentown, Easton, Lancaster, Reading, and Philadelphia.
Middle District
(b) The Middle District comprises the counties of Adams, Bradford, Cameron, Carbon, Centre, Clinton, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Lackawanna, Lebanon, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mifflin, Monroe, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Pike, Potter, Schuylkill, Snyder, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Wayne, Wyoming, and York.
Court for the Middle District shall be held at Harrisburg, Lewisburg, Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, and Williamsport.
Western District
(c) The Western District comprises the counties of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Blair, Butler, Cambria, Clarion, Clearfield, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Fayette, Forest, Greene, Indiana, Jefferson, Lawrence, McKean, Mercer, Somerset, Venango, Warren, Washington, and Westmoreland.
Court for the Western District shall be held at Erie, Johnstown, and Pittsburgh.
Historical And Revision
Based on title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 184 (Mar. 3, 1911, ch. 231, § 103, 36 Stat. 1123; Mar. 3, 1913, ch. 113, 37 Stat. 730; June 6, 1914, ch. 104, 38 Stat. 385; Sept. 9, 1914, ch. 296, 38 Stat. 713; Apr. 26, 1926, ch. 185, 44 Stat. 324; June 27, 1930, ch. 634, 46 Stat. 820; Aug. 3, 1935, ch. 433, 49 Stat. 514; May 13, 1936, ch. 385, 49 Stat. 1271; June 13, 1938, ch. 351, 52 Stat. 674; Mar. 5, 1942, ch. 143, 56 Stat. 132).
Provisions relating to maintenance of offices at certain places by the clerks and marshals were omitted as covered by sections 541 [see 561] and 751 of this title.
Provisions for the continuance of terms were omitted as covered by section 139 of this title.
Provisions with respect to the return of process, and the places of keeping court papers, were omitted as matters for determination by rule of court or for the action of the judicial council in cooperation with the Administrative Office of the United States Courts.
The provisions for trial of cases at Lewisburg and Erie unless counsel consent to trial elsewhere were omitted as inconsistent with the uniform practice provided by this title.
Changes were made in phraseology and arrangement.
Miscellaneous
By Senate amendment to the bill, Blair County was transferred from the Middle District to the Western District of Pennsylvania. This was in conformity with Act July 11, 1947, ch. 224, 61 Stat. 310, which so amended section 184 of title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., the source of this section. See 80th Congress Senate Report No. 1559.
Amendments
1998—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 105–277, § 101(b) [title VI, § 624(a)(1)], substituted “and Philadelphia” for “Philadelphia, and Schuylkill”.
Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 105–277, § 101(b) [title VI, § 624(a)(2)], inserted “Schuylkill,” after “Potter,”.
1992—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 102–396 inserted “Lancaster,” before “Reading”.
1978—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 95–573 provided for holding court at Johnstown.
1970—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 91–272 provided for holding court at Allentown and Reading.
Effective Date Of Amendment
Pub. L. 105–277, div. A, § 101(b) [title VI, § 624(b)],