Public Law 119-73 (01/23/2026)

28 U.S.C. § 118

Pennsylvania

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.

June 25, 1948, ch. 64662 Stat. 888Pub. L. 91–272, § 684 Stat. 297Pub. L. 95–573, § 492 Stat. 2458Pub. L. 102–396, title IX, § 9161106 Stat. 1947Pub. L. 105–277, div. A, § 101(b) [title VI, § 624(a)]112 Stat. 2681–50(, ; , , ; , , ; , , ; , , , 2681–116.)

Historical and Revision Notes

Mar. 3, 1911, ch. 231, § 10336 Stat. 1123Mar. 3, 1913, ch. 11337 Stat. 730June 6, 1914, ch. 10438 Stat. 385Sept. 9, 1914, ch. 29638 Stat. 713Apr. 26, 1926, ch. 18544 Stat. 324June 27, 1930, ch. 63446 Stat. 820Aug. 3, 1935, ch. 43349 Stat. 514May 13, 1936, ch. 38549 Stat. 1271June 13, 1938, ch. 35152 Stat. 674Mar. 5, 1942, ch. 14356 Stat. 132Based on title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 184 (, ; , ; , ; , ; , ; , ; , ; , ; , ; , ).

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.

section 139 of this titleProvisions for the continuance of terms were omitted as covered by .

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

Act July 11, 1947, ch. 22461 Stat. 310section 184 of title 28By Senate amendment to the bill, Blair County was transferred from the Middle District to the Western District of Pennsylvania. This was in conformity with , , which so amended , U.S.C., 1940 ed., the source of this section. See 80th Congress Senate Report No. 1559.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

Pub. L. 105–277, § 101(b) [title VI, § 624(a)(1)]1998—Subsec. (a). , substituted “and Philadelphia” for “Philadelphia, and Schuylkill”.

Pub. L. 105–277, § 101(b) [title VI, § 624(a)(2)]Subsec. (b). , inserted “Schuylkill,” after “Potter,”.

Pub. L. 102–3961992—Subsec. (a). inserted “Lancaster,” before “Reading”.

Pub. L. 95–5731978—Subsec. (c). provided for holding court at Johnstown.

Pub. L. 91–2721970—Subsec. (a). 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

“(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.”
, , , 2681–116, provided that: