About the Publisher — John D. Kirby

The Statutes Behind the Reference

The statutory backdrop

The reference pages on this site rest on three structural authorities: 28 U.S.C. § 41, which constitutes the thirteen judicial circuits of the United States; the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, which govern criminal proceedings in the district courts; and 28 U.S.C. § 1291, which gives the courts of appeals jurisdiction over appeals from final decisions of the district courts.

Each is quoted from its primary source in the block below.

Primary sources

• 28 U.S.C. § 41 — text of the statute or rule as published by law.cornell.edu (law.cornell.edu). Verbatim: “The thirteen judicial circuits of the United States are constituted as follows: Circuits Composition District of Columbia District of Columbia. First Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island. Second Connecticut, New York, Vermont. Third Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virgin Islands. Fourth Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia. Fifth District of the Canal Zone, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas. Sixth Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee. Seventh Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin. Eighth Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota. Ninth Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Guam, Hawaii. Tenth Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, Wyoming. Eleventh Alabama, Florida, Georgia. Federal All Federal judicial districts.”
• Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure — text of the statute or rule as published by uscourts.gov (uscourts.gov). Verbatim: “The Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure govern criminal proceedings and prosecutions in the U.S. district courts, the courts of appeals, and the Supreme Court.”
• 28 U.S.C. § 1291 — text of the statute or rule as published by law.cornell.edu (law.cornell.edu). Verbatim: “The courts of appeals (other than the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit) shall have jurisdiction of appeals from all final decisions of the district courts of the United States, the United States District Court for the District of the Canal Zone, the District Court of Guam, and the District Court of the Virgin Islands, except where a direct review may be had in the Supreme Court.”

Sources listed above were accessed and verified on August 20, 2026. Statutes and rules are quoted from the linked primary pages as published on that date. Information on this site is general in nature and is not legal advice.