Which act reorganized the federal court system, eliminated the Supreme Court's circuit court duties, and created 16 judgeships for the circuits?

• A. Reorganization Act of 1801
• B. Judiciary Act of 1891
• C. Judiciary Act of 1925
• D. US Supreme Court

Answer: (A)

Understanding how Congress reshaped the federal judiciary helps here. The Reorganization Act of 1801 reorganized the court system in a way that reduced the Supreme Court’s role in circuit matters and expanded the number of circuit judges to sixteen to staff the circuits. This move aimed to lighten the Supreme Court’s workload by shifting circuit duties to new, locally staffed judges. The act is historically significant for creating those sixteen circuit judgeships while moving the circuit functions away from the justices of the Supreme Court. Note that later legislation repealed this arrangement, restoring the prior structure, and the other options refer to different reforms or entities that don’t match these exact changes.