Federal District Court Organization Act of 1980
Public Law 96-462 · H.R. 8178 · 96th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Jimmy Carter (D) on Oct 15, 1980 · Law
Sponsor: Rep. Robert Kastenmeier (D-WI-2)
Cosponsors (7): Rep. George Danielson, Rep. Romano Mazzoli,
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.
Federal District Court Organization Act of 1980 - Provides that the Court for the Central Judicial District of California shall be held at Santa Ana, in addition to Los Angeles as currently provided.
Transfers the counties of Fremont and Page from the Southern to the Western Division of the Southern Judicial District of Iowa.
Transfers the counties of Audrain and Montgomery from the Eastern to the Northern Division of the Eastern Judicial District of Missouri.
Places within the Eastern Judicial District of North Carolina that portion of Durham County encompassing the Federal Correctional Institution in Butner, North Carolina.
Transfers the counties of Alleghany, Ashe, Watauga, and Wilkes from the Middle to the Western Judicial District of North Carolina.
Establishes a Lufkin Division in the Eastern Judicial District of Texas.
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.
- Oct 15, 1980Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public Law 96-462.
- Oct 6, 1980PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in Senate.
- Oct 3, 1980PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in House.
- Oct 1, 1980FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate.
- FloorFloor · Measure called up by unanimous consent in Senate.
- Sep 30, 1980FloorFloor · Measure passed House.
- FloorFloor · Measure called up by unanimous consent in House.
- Sep 26, 1980CommitteeCommittee · Reported by House Judiciary Committee
- Sep 22, 1980CommitteeCommittee · 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.