The Judiciary Act of 1869 (16 Stat. 44), also called the Circuit Judges Act of 1869, was a United States statute that made two important reforms of the federal judiciary. The United States Statutes at Large, commonly referred to as the Statutes at Large, is the official source for the laws and resolutions passed by Congress. ... A statute is a formal, written law of a country or state, written and enacted by its legislative authority, perhaps to then be ratified by the highest executive in the government, and finally published. ... ...

First, judgeships were created for the circuit courts; in this case, one circuit judgeship was created for each of the nine circuits. Up until this time, circuit courts were normally only staffed by district judges and Supreme Court justices "riding circuit". This was actually the third time that Congress had created circuit judgeships, but the first time was the soon-repealed Judiciary Act of 1801, and the second was a single circuit judgeship in the frontier state of California which only lasted from 1855 to 1863. This law did not abolish circuit riding, but significantly reduced its burden by requiring each justice to attend circuit court in each district within his circuit only once every two years. The United States Courts of Appeals (or circuit courts) are the mid-level appellate courts of the United States federal court system. ... The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C., (large image) The Supreme Court of the United States, located in Washington, D.C., is the highest court (see supreme court) in the United States; that is, it has ultimate judicial authority within the United States... ... State nickname: The Golden State Other U.S. States Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) Official languages English Area 410,000 km² (3rd)  - Land 404,298 km²  - Water 20,047 km² (4. ... 1855 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1863 is a common year starting on Thursday. ...

Second, for the first time, federal judges (and justices) were given the option to retire with a pension. The pension was set at the salary of the judge at the time of retirement, and a judge had to be at least seventy years old and have ten years of service on the federal bench before being allowed to retire. A judge or justice is an official who presides over a court. ... A pension (also known as superannuation) is a retirement plan intended to provide a person with a secure income for life. ...

This Act also set the Supreme Court at its current size of nine justices. The Judicial Circuits Act of 1866 had reduced the Court from ten to seven justices, although the reduction was to occur only as seats became vacant. As only two seats were vacated between 1866 and 1869, the Court had eight justices at the time of this Act, so one new seat was created. The Judicial Circuits Act of 1866 reorganized the United States federal judicial circuit courts and provided for the gradual elimination of several seats on the Supreme Court of the United States. ... 1866 is a common year starting on Monday. ... 1866 is a common year starting on Monday. ... 1869 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...