White County Circuit Court

City: Carmi

County: White

State: Illinois

Upon its creation out of Gallatin County in 1815, White County became part of the Second Judicial Circuit, one of three circuits in the Illinois Territory. In January 1817, the Illinois Territorial Legislature created a circuit court for White County and moved White County to the Third Judicial Circuit. The White County Circuit Court held its first session in Carmi, the county seat, in May 1817. The first circuit court judge to reside in White County was Judge William Wilson.

In March 1819, the Illinois General Assembly moved White County back to the Second Judicial Circuit. In December 1824, White County was moved to the Fifth Judicial Circuit, and then to the Fourth Judicial Circuit in January 1827. In 1851, White County was placed in Twelfth Judicial Circuit where it was for the remainder of Abraham Lincoln's lifetime.

“An Act for the Division of Gallatin County,” 9 December 1815, Laws of Illinois Territory (1816), 5-8; "An Act Regulating and Defining the Duties of United States' Judges for the Territory of Illinois," 6 January 1817, Laws of Illinois Territory (1817), 31-39; "An Act Regulating and Defining the Duties of the Justices of the Supreme Court," 31 March 1819, Laws of Illinois (1819), 378; "An Act Constituting and Regulating the Supreme and Circuit Courts of this State," 29 December 1824, Laws of Illinois (1825), 42; "An Act to Amend An Act Constituting and Regulating the Supreme and Circuit Courts of this State, Approved December 29, 1824," 12 January 1827, Revised Laws of Illinois (1827), 119; "An Act to Establish the Twelfth Judicial Circuit," 1 February 1851, General Laws of Illinois (1851), 13-15; History of White County, Illinois (Chicago: Inter-State, 1883), 297, 313-14.