Title 28 — Judiciary and Judicial Procedure
Part I · Chapter 5 — District Courts
§ 118. Pennsylvania
Statutory text
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.
Legislative history
Reconstructed from this section’s Code source credit and amendment notes, resolved against the local Statutes at Large. Editorial notes are evidence, not the law that made the change.
Title 28, United States Code, section —
Pub. L. 80–646 · 62 Stat. 869
Enacted · 28 U.S.C. § 118
June 25, 1948, ch. 646, 62 Stat. 888
Source evidence
Code source credit
June 25, 1948, ch. 646, 62 Stat. 888Pub. L. 91–272 § 6 · 84 Stat. 294
Changed · 28 U.S.C. § 118(a)
Pub. L. 91–272 provided for holding court at Allentown and Reading
Source evidence
Code amendment note
Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 91–272 provided for holding court at Allentown and Reading.Enacted provision · exact public law section
Sec. 6. Section 118(a) of title 28, United States Code, is amended to Pennsylvania. 62 Stat. 888. read as follows: “(a) “eastern district The Eastern District comprises the counties of Berks, Bucks, Chester. Delaware, Lancaster, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, and Schuylkill. “Court for the Eastern District shall be held at Allentown, Easton, Reading, and Philadelphia.”Pub. L. 95–573 § 4 · 92 Stat. 2458
Changed · 28 U.S.C. § 118(c)
Pub. L. 95–573 provided for holding court at Johnstown
Source evidence
Code amendment note
Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 95–573 provided for holding court at Johnstown.Enacted provision · exact public law section
Sec. 4. The last sentence of section 118(c) of title 28, United States Code, is amended to read as follows: “Court for the Western District shall be held at Erie, Johnstown, and Pittsburgh.”.Pub. L. 102–396 title IX § 9161 · 106 Stat. 1876
Inserted · 28 U.S.C. § 118(a)
Pub. L. 102–396 inserted “Lancaster,” before “Reading”
Source evidence
Code amendment note
Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 102–396 inserted “Lancaster,” before “Reading”.Pub. L. 105–277 § 101(b)(tVI)(s624)(a)(1) · 112 Stat. 2681
Substituted · 28 U.S.C. § 118(a)
Pub. L. 105–277, § 101(b) [title VI, § 624(a)(1)], substituted “and Philadelphia” for “Philadelphia, and Schuylkill”
Source evidence
Code amendment note
Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 105–277, § 101(b) [title VI, § 624(a)(1)], substituted “and Philadelphia” for “Philadelphia, and Schuylkill”.Enacted provision · exact public law section
Sec. 101. For programs, projects or activities in the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999, provided as follows, to be effective as if it had been enacted into law as the regular appropriations Act: AN ACT Making appropriations for Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1999, and for other purposes. Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999.Effective date note
Pub. L. 105–277, div. A, § 101(b) [title VI, § 624(b)], Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2681–50, 2681–116, provided that:Pub. L. 105–277 § 101(b)(tVI)(s624)(a)(2) · 112 Stat. 2681
Inserted · 28 U.S.C. § 118(b)
Pub. L. 105–277, § 101(b) [title VI, § 624(a)(2)], inserted “Schuylkill,” after “Potter,”
Source evidence
Code amendment note
Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 105–277, § 101(b) [title VI, § 624(a)(2)], inserted “Schuylkill,” after “Potter,”.Enacted provision · exact public law section
Sec. 101. For programs, projects or activities in the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999, provided as follows, to be effective as if it had been enacted into law as the regular appropriations Act: AN ACT Making appropriations for Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 1999, and for other purposes. Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1999.Effective date note
Pub. L. 105–277, div. A, § 101(b) [title VI, § 624(b)], Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2681–50, 2681–116, provided that:
4 of 6 references resolved to an enrolled provision · 2 partial
Notes
Historical and Revision Notes
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.
Senate Revision Amendment
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.
Editorial Notes
Amendments1970–1998 · 4 rounds
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.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date of 1998 Amendment
Pub. L. 105–277, div. A, § 101(b) [title VI, § 624(b)], , 112 Stat. 2681–50, 2681–116, provided that:
“(1) This section [amending this section] and the amendments made by this section shall take effect 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act [].
“(2) This section and the amendments made by this section shall not affect any action commenced before the effective date of this section and pending on such date in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
“(3) This section and the amendments made by this section shall not affect the composition, or preclude the service, of any grand or petit jury summoned, impaneled, or actually serving on the effective date of this section.”
Credits
1948–1998 · 5 acts
- 1948June 25, 1948, ch. 646, 62 Stat. 888
- 1970Pub. L. 91–272, § 6, , 84 Stat. 297
- 1978Pub. L. 95–573, § 4, , 92 Stat. 2458
- 1992Pub. L. 102–396, title IX, § 9161, , 106 Stat. 1947
- 1998Pub. L. 105–277, div. A, § 101(b) [title VI, § 624(a)], , 112 Stat. 2681–50, 2681–116.
Show as published
(June 25, 1948, ch. 646, 62 Stat. 888; Pub. L. 91–272, § 6, , 84 Stat. 297; Pub. L. 95–573, § 4, , 92 Stat. 2458; Pub. L. 102–396, title IX, § 9161, , 106 Stat. 1947; Pub. L. 105–277, div. A, § 101(b) [title VI, § 624(a)], , 112 Stat. 2681–50, 2681–116.)