Title 28 — Judiciary and Judicial ProcedureRelease 119-73not60
§95 Iowa
Title 28 › Part I— ORGANIZATION OF COURTS › Chapter 5— DISTRICT COURTS › § 95
Summary
Iowa is split into two federal court districts: the Northern District and the Southern District. The Northern District has four divisions. The Cedar Rapids Division covers certain counties and holds court in Cedar Rapids. The Eastern Division covers certain counties and holds court in Dubuque and Waterloo. The Western Division covers certain counties and holds court in Sioux City. The Central Division covers certain counties and holds court in Fort Dodge and Mason City. The Southern District has six divisions. The Central Division holds court in Des Moines. The Eastern Division holds court in Keokuk. The Western Division holds court in Council Bluffs. The Southern Division holds court in Creston. The Davenport Division holds court in Davenport. The Ottumwa Division holds court in Ottumwa. Each division covers the specific counties listed in the law.
Full Legal Text
Title 28, §95
Judiciary and Judicial Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Iowa is divided into two judicial districts to be known as the Northern and Southern Districts of Iowa. Northern District (a) The Northern District comprises four divisions. (1) The Cedar Rapids Division comprises the counties of Benton, Cedar, Grundy, Hardin, Iowa, Jones, Linn, and Tama. Court for the Cedar Rapids Division shall be held at Cedar Rapids. (2) The Eastern Division comprises the counties of Allamakee, Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Chickasaw, Clayton, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Floyd, Howard, Jackson, Mitchell, and Winneshiek. Court for the Eastern Division shall be held at Dubuque and Waterloo. (3) The Western Division comprises the counties of Buena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, Crawford, Dickinson, Ida, Lyon, Monona, O’Brien, Osceola, Plymouth, Sac, Sioux, and Woodbury. Court for the Western Division shall be held at Sioux City. (4) The Central Division comprises the counties of Butler, Calhoun, Carroll, Cerro Gordo, Emmet, Franklin, Hamilton, Hancock, Humboldt, Kossuth, Palo Alto, Pocahontas, Webster, Winnebago, Worth, and Wright. Court for the Central Division shall be held at Fort Dodge and Mason City. Southern District (b) The Southern District comprises six divisions. (1) The Central Division comprises the counties of Boone, Dallas, Greene, Guthrie, Jasper, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Polk, Poweshiek, Story, and Warren. Court for the Central Division shall be held at Des Moines. (2) The Eastern Division comprises the counties of Des Moines, Henry, Lee, Louisa, and Van Buren. Court for the Eastern Division shall be held at Keokuk. (3) The Western Division comprises the counties of Audubon, Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, and Shelby. Court for the Western Division shall be held at Council Bluffs. (4) The Southern Division comprises the counties of Adair, Adams, Clarke, Decatur, Lucas, Ringgold, Taylor, Union, and Wayne. Court for the Southern Division shall be held at Creston. (5) The Davenport Division comprises the counties of Clinton, Johnson, Muscatine, Scott, and Washington. Court for the Davenport Division shall be held at Davenport. (6) The Ottumwa Division comprises the counties of Appanoose, Davis, Jefferson, Keokuk, Mahaska, Monroe, and Wapello. Court for the Ottumwa Division shall be held at Ottumwa.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Based on title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed., §§ 156 and 156a (Mar. 3, 1911, ch. 231, § 81, 36 Stat. 1111; Mar. 3, 1913, ch. 122, 37 Stat. 734; Feb. 23, 1916, ch. 32, 39 Stat. 12; Apr. 27, 1916, ch. 90, 39 Stat. 55; Mar. 4, 1923, ch. 256, 42 Stat. 1483; Jan. 28, 1925, ch. 104, 43 Stat. 794; July 5, 1937, ch. 428, 50 Stat. 474). A provision relating to the maintenance of clerk’s office was omitted as covered by section 751 of this title. Changes in arrangement and phraseology were made.
Editorial Notes
Amendments
1980—Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 96–462, § 3(a)(1), added Fremont and Page counties to Western Division of Southern District. Subsec. (b)(4). Pub. L. 96–462, § 3(a)(2), struck out references to Fremont and Page counties in list of counties comprising Southern Division of Southern District.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 1980 Amendment;
Savings Provision
Amendment by Pub. L. 96–462 effective Oct. 1, 1981, but not to affect the composition or preclude the service of any grand or petit juror summoned, empaneled, or actually serving in any judicial district on Oct. 1, 1981, see section 7 of Pub. L. 96–462, set out as a note under section 84 of this title. Pub. L. 96–462, § 3(b), Oct. 15, 1980, 94 Stat. 2053, provided that: “The
Amendments
made by subsection (a) [amending this section] shall not apply to any action commenced before the
Effective Date
of such
Amendments
[Oct. 1, 1981] and pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa on such date.” Holding Court for the Southern District of Iowa Pub. L. 107–273, div. C, title I, § 11029, Nov. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 1836, as amended by Pub. L. 108–455, § 1, Dec. 10, 2004, 118 Stat. 3628, provided that: “Notwithstanding any other provision of law, during the period beginning on
January 1, 2003, through
July 1, 2006, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa may— “(1) with the consent of the parties in any case filed in the Eastern Division or the Davenport Division of the Southern District of Iowa, hold court on that case in Rock Island, Illinois; and “(2) summon jurors from the Southern District of Iowa to serve in any case described under paragraph (1).”
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
28 U.S.C. § 95
Title 28 — Judiciary and Judicial Procedure
Last Updated
Apr 5, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60