Sec.[Section] 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly, That “An act establishing a circuit court north of the Illinois river,” approved, January eighth, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-nine; also “An act to establish a uniform mode of holding circuit courts,” approved, January seventh, one thousand eight hundred and thirty-five; also, “An act dividing the State into judicial circuits,” approved, January seventeenth, one thousand eight hundred and thirty-five; also, “An act forming an additional judicial circuit,” approved, February fourth, one thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven; also, “An act dividing the State into judicial circuits,” approved, February twenty-third, one thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine; and also, all other acts and parts of acts establishing circuit courts and authorizing the election of circuit judges in this State, be, and the same are hereby repealed.

Sec. 2. There shall be appointed by joint ballot of both branches of the General Assembly at the present session thereof, five additional associate justices of the supreme court, who in connection with the chief justice and present associate justices, shall constitute the supreme court of the State of Illinois.

Sec. 3. The State shall be divided into nine judicial circuits, and the aforesaid chief justice and eight associate justices shall perform circuit duties in said circuits, in such manner and at such times as shall be provided by law, and shall possess the same powers and jurisdiction, and be governed by the same rules, regulations and restrictions that are now applicable to the present circuit courts of this State.

Sec. 4. This act shall be construed to continue over to the circuit courts created by this act, all cases, suits, writs, recognizances, process and proceedings of every description and kind, pending at the passage of this act, in the circuit courts hereby repealed, with full power and authority in the courts so created to proceed, to hear and determine, and have cognizance of all such causes, suits, writs, recognizances, process and proceedings in the same manner the said repealed circuit courts could have done had no change in said courts taken place; all writs, process and recognizances, which shall be issued or taken, returnable to or for appearance in the circuit courts of this State, before the statutes passed at the present session of the General Assembly shall be printed, shall be considered returnable to and for appearance in the courts created by this act.