Milestones

 

1891- The Judiciary Act of 1891 establishes the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. The Court has appellate jurisdiction over the federal district courts in Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

1917- Congress assigns the U.S. Virgin Islands to the Third Circuit.

1937- Construction begins on a new United States Courthouse on Ninth and Market Streets in Philadelphia. The Old Post Office Building, where the Court presided since 1891, is razed in the early 1940s.

1947- Ida O. Creskoff becomes the first female clerk of court for a federal circuit court.

1948- Judge Johns Biggs, Jr. begins his tenure as chief judge, a position created by the Judicial Code of 1948. This new code also removes “Circuit” from the name of the Court. The official name becomes “United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.”

1950- Judge William H. Hastie joins the bench. At the time of his confirmation, he is the first African American federal judge appointed under Article III of the U.S. Constitution, which provides life tenure.

1968- Judge William H. Hastie begins his tenure as the Third Circuit’s first African American chief judge.

1975- The Court moves to its current location on Sixth and Market Streets in Philadelphia.

1979- Judge Dolores K. Sloviter joins the bench. She is the first woman appointed to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.

1988- The Third Circuit renames Courtroom No. 1 in Philadelphia to honor Judge Albert Branson Maris, who served more than 50 years as a federal judge. Listen to audio of the dedication ceremony.

1991- Judge Dolores K. Sloviter begins a seven-year term as the Court’s first female chief judge.

1994- The Third Circuit renames Courtroom No. 2 in Philadelphia to honor Judge Collins J. Seitz, a longtime chief judge of the circuit.

2000- Judge Julio M. Fuentes is sworn in as the Court’s first Hispanic judge.

2005- Judge Samuel A. Alito, Jr. becomes the first Third Circuit judge nominated to serve on the Supreme Court.

2015- By an act of Congress, the United States Courthouse in Pittsburgh becomes the Joseph F. Weis, Jr. U.S. Courthouse. Judge Weis served more than 40 years on the Third Circuit. View the Congressional Record to learn about the courthouse renaming.

2022- Judge Arianna J. Freeman is sworn in. She is the first African American woman appointed to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.

2023- Judge Cindy K. Chung becomes the first Asian American to sit on the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.

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