US Code

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

28 U.S.C. § 294

Assignment of retired Justices or judges to active duty

(a)
Any retired Chief Justice of the United States or Associate Justice of the Supreme Court may be designated and assigned by the Chief Justice of the United States to perform such judicial duties in any circuit, including those of a circuit justice, as he is willing to undertake.
(b)
Any judge of the United States who has retired from regular active service under section 371(b) or 372(a) of this title shall be known and designated as a senior judge and may continue to perform such judicial duties as he is willing and able to undertake, when designated and assigned as provided in subsections (c) and (d).
(c)
Any retired circuit or district judge may be designated and assigned by the chief judge or judicial council of his circuit to perform such judicial duties within the circuit as he is willing and able to undertake. Any other retired judge of the United States may be designated and assigned by the chief judge of his court to perform such judicial duties in such court as he is willing and able to undertake.
(d)
The Chief Justice of the United States shall maintain a roster of retired judges of the United States who are willing and able to undertake special judicial duties from time to time outside their own circuit, in the case of a retired circuit or district judge, or in a court other than their own, in the case of other retired judges, which roster shall be known as the roster of senior judges. Any such retired judge of the United States may be designated and assigned by the Chief Justice to perform such judicial duties as he is willing and able to undertake in a court outside his own circuit, in the case of a retired circuit or district judge, or in a court other than his own, in the case of any other retired judge of the United States. Such designation and assignment to a court of appeals or district court shall be made upon the presentation of a certificate of necessity by the chief judge or circuit justice of the circuit wherein the need arises and to any other court of the United States upon the presentation of a certificate of necessity by the chief judge of such court. No such designation or assignment shall be made to the Supreme Court.
(e)
No retired justice or judge shall perform judicial duties except when designated and assigned.

June 25, 1948, ch. 64662 Stat. 901July 9, 1956, ch. 517, § 1(c)70 Stat. 497Pub. L. 85–21971 Stat. 495Pub. L. 85–755, § 572 Stat. 849Pub. L. 95–598, title II, § 20692 Stat. 2660(, ; , ; , , ; , , ; , , .)

Historical and Revision Notes

Mar. 3, 1911, ch. 231, § 26036 Stat. 1161Feb. 25, 1919, ch. 29, § 640 Stat. 1157Mar. 1, 1929, ch. 41945 Stat. 1422Mar. 1, 1937, ch. 2150 Stat. 24Feb. 11, 1938, ch. 2552 Stat. 28Aug. 5, 1939, ch. 433, § 5May 11, 1944, ch. 19258 Stat. 218Based on title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., §§ 375, 375a, and 375f (, ; , ; , ; , ; , ; , as added , §§ 1–3, , 219).

Section consolidates those parts of sections 375, 375a, and 375f of title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., relating to designation and assignment of retired justices and judges. Other provisions of said sections 375 and 375a, appear in sections 136, 371, and 756 of this title.

section 136 of this titleThe term “chief judge” was substituted for “presiding judge or senior judge.” (See Reviser’s Note under .)

Changes were made in phraseology.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

Pub. L. 95–598section 402(b) of Pub. L. 95–598section 101 of Title 111978—Subsecs. (c), (d). directed the amendment of subsec. (c) by substituting “district or bankruptcy judge” for “or district” and the amendment of subsec. (d) by substituting “, district judge or bankruptcy judge” for “or district judge”, which amendments did not become effective pursuant to , as amended, set out as an Effective Date note preceding , Bankruptcy.

Pub. L. 85–7551958—Subsec. (a). reenacted subsec. (a) without change.

Pub. L. 85–755Subsecs. (b) to (d). revised and re­arranged subject matter to apply “senior judge” to all judges who retire from regular active service under sections 371(b) and 372(a) of this title, while retaining their commissions, rather than merely to those who ask to be placed on the Chief Justice’s roster, to lodge solely in the chief judge and judicial council of the circuit concerned the intracircuit assignment power, and in the Chief Justice the power to assign retired judges beyond their circuits or special courts.

Pub. L. 85–755Subsec. (e). reenacted subsec. (e) without change.

Pub. L. 85–2191957—Subsec. (d). added subsec. (d).

1956—Subsec. (b). Act , inserted provisions relating to assignment of retired judges of the Court of Claims.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Jurisdiction of United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals

Pub. L. 85–755section 7 of Pub. L. 85–755section 291 of this titleAmendment by not limiting or altering the jurisdiction of the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals [now United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit], see , set out as a note under .