The Judges’ Bill passed Congress in 1925. It limited direct appeals from district courts to the Supreme Court and made most appeals final in lower courts. The act gave the Supreme Court greater discretion to select the cases it hears, which are generally on constitutional questions the justices deem to be of national importance.
Records of the U.S. House of Representatives, National Archives and Records Administration
H.R. 8206, A Bill to amend the Judicial Code . . . (Judges’ Bill), February 4, 1924
Congress and the Court Collaborate
Beginning in 1891, Congress allowed the court some discretion over its docket, but still required it to hear many appeals from lower courts. By the 1920s, the Supreme Court was backlogged with cases stemming from World War I and enforcement of liquor prohibition. Congress, with advice from Supreme Court justices, made major changes to the court’s jurisdiction in 1925. The so-called “Judges’ Bill” relieved the Court by removing all but a small set of cases from its mandatory docket.
Congress determines the structure and authority of the federal court system. In 1925 Congress and the Supreme Court collaborated in redefining the highest court’s role and narrowing its jurisdiction.
The Judges’ Bill passed Congress in 1925. It limited direct appeals from district courts to the Supreme Court and made most appeals final in lower courts. The act gave the Supreme Court greater discretion to select the cases it hears, which are generally on constitutional questions the justices deem to be of national importance.
Records of the U.S. House of Representatives, National Archives and Records Administration
