Bill Introduced to Realign Divisions in Two Judicial Districts

A bill that would realign divisions in the U.S. District Courts in the Eastern District of Missouri and the Northern District of Mississippi has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The realignment would allow the courts to better manage cases for the benefit of litigants and jurors. The bill was introduced in the House on May 7, and reflects proposals adopted in March by the policy-making Judicial Conference of the United States.

In the Eastern District of Missouri, the legislation would transfer Iron and Saint Genevieve Counties from the Eastern Division to the Southeastern Division. Court for the Southeastern Division is held at Cape Girardeau. The shift would help equalize the workload of the two divisions, and also decrease travel distances for attorneys and jurors in the affected counties.

In the Northern District of Mississippi, the bill would eliminate the Delta Division by reallocating the eight counties in that division among the district’s three remaining divisions. The Delta Division does not contain a federal courthouse.