Title 28Judiciary and Judicial ProcedureRelease 119-73

§333 Judicial conferences of circuits

Title 28 › Part PART I— - ORGANIZATION OF COURTS › Chapter CHAPTER 15— - CONFERENCES AND COUNCILS OF JUDGES › § 333

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Each circuit’s chief judge can call the circuit’s active circuit, district, magistrate, and bankruptcy judges to meet every two years, or every year if he chooses, to talk about court work and how to improve justice. Judges from Guam, the Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands can also be called. Each court of appeals must set rules so local lawyers can attend and take part.

Full Legal Text

Title 28, §333

Judiciary and Judicial Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

The chief judge of each circuit may summon biennially, and may summon annually, the circuit, district, magistrate, and bankruptcy judges of the circuit, in active service, to a conference at a time and place that he designates, for the purpose of considering the business of the courts and advising means of improving the administration of justice within such circuit. He may preside at such conference, which shall be known as the Judicial Conference of the circuit. The judges of the District Court of Guam, the District Court of the Virgin Islands, and the District Court of the Northern Mariana Islands may also be summoned biennially, and may be summoned annually, to the conferences of their respective circuits. Every judge summoned may attend. The court of appeals for each circuit shall provide by its rules for representation and active participation at such conference by members of the bar of such circuit.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Based on title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., §§ 449, 450 (Mar. 3, 1911, ch. 231, §§ 307, 308, as added Aug. 7, 1939, ch. 501, § 1, 53 Stat. 1223). Section consolidates parts of section 449 and 450 of title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed. Said section 450 contained definitions of “courts” and “continental United States,” and directions that section 444–450 of title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., relating to the administration of United States courts, should apply to the courts of appeals, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and to the several enumerated district courts of the United States, including those in the Territories and Possessions as well as the Court of Claims, Court of Customs and Patent Appeals, and Customs Court. It also provided that the Chief Justice and associate justices of the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia should have the powers of the senior judge and circuit judges, respectively, of a circuit court of appeals. The revised section omits, as surplusage, the definition of “continental United States.” Other provisions of section 450 of title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., referred to were omitted as unnecessary in view of section 604 of this title which provides for the powers and duties of the Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts. Remaining provisions of said section 450 are incorporated in said section 604 and section 610 of this title. The provision as to travel and subsistence which was contained in said section 449 of title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., is incorporated in section 456 of this title.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2008—Pub. L. 110–406 inserted “magistrate,” after “district,” in first par. 1996—Pub. L. 104–134, § 101[(a)] [title III, § 305(1)], in first par. substituted “may” for “shall” before “summon biennially”, “preside at such”, and “also be summoned”. Pub. L. 104–134, § 101[(a)] [title III, § 305(2)], in second par. substituted “may” for “shall” before “attend” and struck out “, and unless excused by the chief judge, shall remain throughout the conference” before period at end. 1990—Pub. L. 101–650 substituted “biennially, and may summon annually,” for “annually”, struck out “the United States District Court for the District of the Canal Zone,” after “The judges of”, and substituted “the District Court of the Virgin Islands, and the District Court of the Northern Mariana Islands shall also be summoned biennially, and may be summoned annually,” for “and the District Court of the Virgin Islands shall also be summoned annually”. 1978—Pub. L. 95–598 inserted reference to bankruptcy judges. 1958—Pub. L. 85–508 struck out provisions which required judge of District Court for Territory of Alaska to be summoned annually to the conference of his circuit. See section 81A of this title which establishes a United States District Court for the State of Alaska. 1951—Act Oct. 31, 1951, inserted reference to judge of District Court of Guam in first par. 1950—Act Dec., 29, 1950, provided for the presence of judges of District Courts of Alaska, Canal Zone, and the Virgin Islands at annual conferences within their respective circuits.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1978 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 95–598 effective Oct. 1, 1979, see section 402(c) of Pub. L. 95–598, set out as an

Effective Date

note preceding section 101 of Title 11, Bankruptcy.

Effective Date

of 1958 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 85–508 effective Jan. 3, 1959, on admission of Alaska into the Union pursuant to Proc. No. 3269, Jan. 3, 1959, 24 F.R. 81, 73 Stat. c16, as required by section 1 and 8(c) of Pub. L. 85–508, see notes set out under section 81A of this title and preceding section 21 of Title 48, Territories and Insular Possessions. Termination of United States District Court for the District of the Canal Zone For termination of the United States District Court for the District of the Canal Zone at end of the “transition period”, being the 30-month period beginning Oct. 1, 1979, and ending midnight Mar. 31, 1982, see Paragraph 5 of Article XI of the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977 and section 2101 and 2201 to 2203 of Pub. L. 96–70, title II, Sept. 27, 1979, 93 Stat. 493, formerly classified to section 3831 and 3841 to 3843, respectively, of Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

28 U.S.C. § 333

Title 28Judiciary and Judicial Procedure

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73