The Supreme Court of the United States honored the memory of the late Justice Sandra Day O’Connor with a meeting of the Supreme Court’s Bar, followed by a Special Session of the Court, on March 19, 2026.
The Judiciary Act of 1789 created three federal judicial circuits, the Eastern, Middle, and Southern. Two Supreme Court Justices were assigned to travel to each circuit twice a year where they joined federal district court judges to hear appeals as a circuit court. Over time, Congress passed other judiciary acts that changed the number of circuits as the nation expanded. In 1891, Congress established U.S. Courts of Appeals for each circuit, with permanent federal judgeships, largely eliminating the need for the Justices to travel to the circuits. Today, there are 13 judicial circuits and the Justices are still assigned to them. Prior to joining the Court, eight of the nine Justices served as circuit judges, with five—Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., and Justices Samuel A. Alito, Jr., Sonia Sotomayor, Neil M. Gorsuch, and Amy Coney Barrett—presently assigned to the circuit where they served.
The current circuit assignments for the Justices can be found here.