The Supreme Court issued new federal circuit assignments to the justices on Tuesday, giving Justice Neil Gorsuch jurisdiction over a portion of the Midwest via an 8th Circuit assignment.
Each justice has jurisdiction over one or more federal circuits and the challenges and controversies arising from them — including death row appeals.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court made two changes to the justices’ oversight of the federal circuits.
First, the 5th Circuit moved from Justice Clarence Thomas’ oversight to Justice Samuel Alito. The 5th Circuit includes Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
Second, the Supreme Court allotted the 8th Circuit to Gorsuch. Alito previously handled the 8th Circuit, which includes the states of Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota.
Gorsuch’s home state of Colorado remains under the purview of Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
The new assignments became effective on Tuesday and could have a lasting impact on the court’s adjudication of life-and-death matters for years to come.
