2016 US Code
Title 28 - Judiciary and Judicial Procedure
Part I - Organization of Courts
Chapter 5 - District Courts
Sec. 118 - Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania is divided into three judicial districts to be known as the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Pennsylvania.

(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.

(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.

(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.

(June 25, 1948, ch. 646, 62 Stat. 888; Pub. L. 91–272, §6, June 2, 1970, 84 Stat. 297; Pub. L. 95–573, §4, Nov. 2, 1978, 92 Stat. 2458; Pub. L. 102–396, title IX, §9161, Oct. 6, 1992, 106 Stat. 1947; Pub. L. 105–277, div. A, §101(b) [title VI, §624(a)], Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2681–50, 2681–116.)

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.

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.

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.

Pub. L. 105–277, div. A, §101(b) [title VI, §624(b)], Oct. 21, 1998, 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 [Oct. 21, 1998].

"(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."