A bill to amend the Federal District Court Organization Act of 1978 with respect to certain administrative matters arising from the redrawing of the Federal judicial district in the State of Illinois.
Public Law 96-4 · H.R. 2301 · 96th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Jimmy Carter (D) on Mar 30, 1979 · Law
Sponsor: Rep. Robert Kastenmeier (D-WI-2)
Cosponsors (2): Rep. Thomas Railsback, Rep. George O’Brien
Passage votes
- HouseMethod not stated
- SenateMethod not stated
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Amends the Federal District Court Organization Act of 1978 to add the following provisions with respect to Federal district judges in Illinois: (1) the senior district judge for the Eastern District in office on the effective date of this Act shall be a district judge for the Southern District; (2) the remaining district judge for the Eastern District in office on the effective date of this Act and the district judges for the Southern District in office on the effective date of this Act shall be district judges for the Central District; and (3) the President shall appoint a second district judge for the Southern District.
Stipulates that such assignments shall not affect the tenures of office of the United States attorneys, the assistant United States Attorneys, and marshals for the Eastern District and the Southern District, who shall on the date of enactment assume such positions for the Southern District and the Central District, respectively.
Stipulates that any grand jury impaneled by the district courts for the Central and Southern Districts on or after the date of enactment may exercise their powers with respect to crimes committed within their respective districts as such districts were constituted before or after the effective date of this Act.
Makes the effective date of the transfer of Kankakee county from the Northern District to the Central District of Illinois March 31, 1979, instead of May 1, 1979.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 12 actions.
- Mar 30, 1979Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public Law 96-4.
- Mar 27, 1979PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- Mar 26, 1979PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in Senate.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in House.
- Mar 22, 1979FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate.
- FloorFloor · Measure called up by unanimous consent in Senate.
- FloorFloor · Measure passed House, amended in lieu of S. 443.
- FloorFloor · Measure called up by unanimous consent in House.
- Mar 20, 1979CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Judiciary Committee
- Feb 21, 1979CommitteeCommittee · Referred to House Judiciary Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the House
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.