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Encyclopedia entry: circuit courts of appeals
- Article from:
- The Oxford Guide to the United States Government
- Author:
Copyright© The Oxford Guide to the United States Government 2001, originally published by Oxford University Press 2001. (Hide copyright information)
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circuit courts of appeals
The Judiciary Act of 1789 set up a system of lower federal courts, under the Supreme Court of the United States. At the bottom were federal district courts, one per state except for Massachusetts and Virginia, which had two apiece because of their greater population. Between the Supreme Court and the district courts were three circuit courts of appeal, one for each of three circuits, or districts, each of which included several states. In 1789 the Southern Circuit included South Carolina and Georgia (North Carolina was added in 1790 after it entered the Union). In 1789 the Eastern Circuit contained New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire (Rhode ...