You are here

Northern District of Mississippi U. S. District Court History

Historic Courthouses


Aberdeen, Mississippi
U.S. Post Office and Courthouse (1932)
Built: 1886-1888
Supervising Architect : Mifflin E. Bell

 

The construction of the U.S. Post Office and Courthouse at Aberdeen followed the creation of the eastern division of the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Mississippi, in 1885. The supervising architect designed a Romanesque building of red pressed brick with gray stone and terra cotta trim. Mifflin Bell also decorated the courtroom, located on the second floor, with ornamental plasterwork, marble, and wood.

The Office of the Supervising Architect altered the building's design only once during its long tenure as a post office and courthouse. A rear extension, completed in 1932, enlarged the post office's work space on the first floor and the courtrooms on the second. The federal courts and the post office vacated the building in 1974, and the federal government sold the property to Monroe County, Mississippi the following year. The county renovated and adapted the building for use by the Monroe County Chancery Court, Board of Supervisors, and the Office of the Superintendent of Education. The chancery court currently uses the old federal courtrooms.

History of Judges for The Northern Mississippi U.S. District Court

Number of judges who have served in the Northern District of Mississippi : 15

Authorized Judgeships

Year
Mississippi
District
Northern
District
Southern
District
Total
Judgeships
1818
1
 
 
1
1838
 
1
1
1
1929
 
1
1
2
1961
 
1
2
3
1966
 
2
3
5
1984
 
3
5
8
1990
 
3
6
9

Legislative History

DATE EVENT
April 3, 1818
3 Stat. 413
Congress organized Mississippi as one judicial district and authorized one judgeship for the U.S. district court. The district court in Mississippi, not being assigned to a judicial circuit, was granted the same jurisdiction as U.S. circuit courts, except in appeals and writs of error, which were the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.
March 3, 1837
5 Stat. 176
Congress repealed the circuit court jurisdiction of the district court for Mississippi, assigned Mississippi to the Ninth Circuit, and created a U.S. circuit court for the District of Mississippi.
June 18, 1838
5 Stat. 247
Mississippi divided into two judicial districts, the Northern and the Southern, with one judgeship authorized to serve both districts.
February 16, 1839
5 Stat. 317
Congress granted circuit court jurisdiction to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi, except in appeals and writs of error, which were the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.
July 15, 1862
12 Stat. 576
Congress reorganized the circuits and assigned Mississippi to the Fifth Circuit.
February 6, 1889
25 Stat. 655
Congress created the U.S. Circuit Court for the Northern District of Mississippi, with all the powers and jurisdictions of other circuit courts, and repealed the circuit court jurisdiction of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District.
March 1, 1929
45 Stat. 1422
Congress authorized an additional judgeship for the Northern District and assigned the sitting judge exclusively to the Southern District.
May 19, 1961
75 Stat. 80
One additional judgeship authorized for the Southern District.
March 18, 1966
80 Stat. 75
One additional judgeship authorized for each district.
July 10, 1984
98 Stat. 333
One additional judgeship authorized for the Northern District and two for the Southern District.
December 1, 1990
104 Stat. 5089
One additional judgeship authorized in the Southern District.