United States Statutes at Large/Volume 2/8th Congress/1st Session/Chapter 31

2440860United States Statutes at Large, Volume 2 — Public Acts of the Eighth Congress, 1st Session, XXXIUnited States Congress


March 23, 1804.

Chap. XXXI.An Act altering the sessions of the District Courts of the United States for the districts of Virginia, Rhode Island, and for the district of West Tennessee.

Sessions of the district court of Virginia altered.
Court at Norfolk to commence June and December 15th, 1805, at Richmond, May and November 19th.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the sessions of the district court for the district of Virginia, directed by law to be held in the town of Norfolk, shall be hereafter held and commence on the fifteenth day of June, and on the fifteenth day of December, in every year; and that the sessions of the said court, directed by law to be held in the city of Richmond, shall be held and commence on the nineteenth day of May, and on the nineteenth day of November, in every year.[1]

If either of the days Sunday, the court to commence the following day.
Writs and process continued over accordingly.
Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That when either of the said days shall happen to be a Sunday, the sessions of the said court shall commence on the following day.

Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, That all writs and process which have been issued, and all recognizances returnable, and all suits and other pleadings which have been continued, to the said district court, directed by law to be holden in Norfolk, on the third Tuesday in March next, shall be returned and held continued to the fifteenth day of June next; and in like manner, all writs and process which [have] been issued, and all recognizances returnable, and all suits and other proceedings which have been continued to the said district court, directed by law to be holden in the city of Richmond, on the third Tuesday in June next, shall be returned, and held continued to the nineteenth day of May next.

Sessions of the district court of Rhode Island altered.Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That from and after the first day of April next, the session of the district court for the district of Rhode Island, shall commence at Newport, on the second Tuesday in May, and third Tuesday in October; at Providence, the first Tuesday in August, and the first Tuesday in February, annually; any law to the contrary notwithstanding.

Writs and process continued over accordingly.Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That all suits, process, and proceedings, of what nature or kind soever, pending in, or made returnable to said court, shall, after the said first day of April next, be continued over until the next court to be held in conformity to this act.

Sessions of the district court of West Tennessee altered.
Process continued over accordingly.
See act of February 24, 1807, sec. 4, ch. 16.
Sec. 6. And be it further enacted, That the sessions of the district court for the district of West Tennessee, directed by law to be held in the town of Nashville, shall be hereafter held and commence on the Thursday next succeeding the fourth Mondays of May and November, in every year; and that all writs, and process which have been issued, and all recognizances returnable, and all suits and other proceedings which have been continued to the said district court, directed by law to be held at Nashville, on the fourth Monday of May next, shall be returned and held continued to the Thursday next succeeding said fourth Monday.

Approved, March 23, 1804.


  1. By the act of March 24, 1819, the sessions of the court are to be held at Richmond on the 1st day of April, and the 15th day of October, and at Norfolk on the 1st day of May, and the 1st day of November.