A Bill to Reduce the Limits of the Eighth Judicial Circuit, [January 1853]1
A bill for an act to reduce the limits of the eighth judicial circuit, and to fix
the times of holding courts therein–
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois represented in the General Assembly, That the counties of Sangamon, Logan, McLean, Woodford, Tazewell, DeWitt Piatt, Champaign, and Vermillion shall hereafter constitute the eight judicial circuit–
That the times of holding courts in said circuit shall be as follows, towit:
| Spring Term— | Sangamon, on the Third Monday of March |
| Logan, two weeks thereafter | |
| McLean, one week thereafter | |
| Woodford, two weeks thereafter | |
| Tazewell, one week thereafter | |
| DeWitt, two weeks thereafter | |
| Piatt, the friday thereafter | |
| Champaign, the Monday thereafter | |
| Vermillion, the friday thereafter |
Summer term— Sangamon, on the Second Monday of June; and there shall be no Grand Jury
at said Summer Term—
| Fall Term— | Logan, on the first monday of September |
| McLean, one week thereafter | |
| Woodford, two weeks thereafter | |
| Tazewell one week thereafter | |
| De Witt two weeks thereafter | |
| Piatt, the friday thereafter | |
| Champaign the Monday thereafter | |
| Vermillion, the friday thereafter | |
| Sangamon, on the Third Monday of November–2 |
That all process, and the service, thereof, which have been, or may be hereafter made,
in conformity with the terms of the courts as ^heretofore and^ now fixed by law, shall be taken and held as conforming to the terms as fixed
<Page 2>
by this act; and that this act shall be in force from and after it's passage–3[ docketing
]
A bill for an act to reduce the limits of the eighth judicial circuit; and to fix
the times of holding courts therein–5
[ endorsement
]
01/31/1853
01/31/1853
Passed the House of Reps[Representatives]. Jan. 31st 1853 with a Substitute–F. D. Preston
Asst. Clk[assistant clerk]7
Asst. Clk[assistant clerk]7
2This bill proposed changes to the counties that were included in the Eighth Judicial
Circuit of Illinois as well as the times court was held, as previously established
in an act passed by the Illinois General Assembly in January 1849.
“An Act Fixing the Times of Holding Courts in the Eighth Judicial Circuit,” 20 January
1849, Laws of Illinois (1849), 60.
3Asahel Gridley introduced the bill in the Illinois Senate on January 24, 1853, and it was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. On January
25, the committee reported back the bill without amendment and recommended its passage.
The Senate passed the bill, and sent to the Illinois House of Representatives for consideration.
The House took up the bill on January 27 and referred it to the Committee on the Judiciary.
On January 31, the committee reported back the bill with a substitute, which the House
passed and returned to the Senate. The Senate approved the House substitution the
same day, and the bill became law on February 3, 1853.
The law carried the same title as Lincoln’s original bill but differed from his bill
in that it excluded Piatt County from the list of counties that comprised the Eighth
Judicial Circuit. This impacted the terms that Lincoln had proposed for both the spring
and fall. The law moved Champaign County’s spring term to one week after DeWitt County’s
spring term and Champaign County’s fall term to one week after DeWitt County’s fall
term. In all other respects, the law passed was the same as the bill that Lincoln
wrote.
Illinois Senate Journal. 1853. 18th G. A., 160, 162, 227-28; Illinois House Journal. 1853. 18th G. A., 228-29, 283; “An Act to Reduce the Limits of the Eighth Judicial
Circuit, and to Fix the Times of Holding Courts Therein,” 3 February 1853, General Laws of Illinois (1853), 63-64.
Handwritten Document, 2 page(s), Box 4, Lincoln Collection, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (Springfield, IL).