Congress established U.S. circuit courts of appeals for each of the nine judicial circuits
and assigned the sitting judge of the U.S. Circuit Courts for the First Circuit to sit also on
the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, effective June 16, 1891. The act also
authorized an additional judgeship for the First Circuit's new court.
The United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit is a federal court with appellate
jurisdiction over the district courts for the following districts:
* District of Maine
* District of Massachusetts
* District of New Hampshire
* District of Rhode Island
It also has appellate jurisdiction over the District Court of Puerto Rico.
Two seats (1 and 4) have traditionally been reserved for Massachusetts.
The remaining four seats are apportioned one to each remaining district: (Seat 2 to
New Hampshire, Seat 3 to Maine, Seat 5 to Puerto Rico, and Seat 6 to Rhode Island)
