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Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial ProcedureRelease 119-102

§118 Pennsylvania

Title 28 › PART I — ORGANIZATION OF COURTS › CHAPTER 5 — DISTRICT COURTS › § 118

Last updated Aug 21, 2026|Official source

Summary

The state is divided into three federal judicial districts called the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts. The Eastern District covers Berks, Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Lancaster, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, and Philadelphia counties. Federal courts for that district meet in Allentown, Easton, Lancaster, Reading, and Philadelphia. The Middle District covers 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 counties, with courts in Harrisburg, Lewisburg, Scranton, Wilkes-Barre, and Williamsport. The Western District covers 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 counties, with courts in Erie, Johnstown, and Pittsburgh.

Full Legal Text

Title 28, §118

Judiciary and Judicial Procedure, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

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.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

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 section 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. Senate Revision AmendmentBy 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

.

Editorial Notes

Amendments

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.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1998 Amendment 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.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

28 U.S.C. § 118

Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure

Last Updated

Aug 21, 2026

Release point: 119-102