28 U.S.C. § 171 - Appointment and number of judges; character of court; designation of chief judge

• Cite as: 28 U.S.C. § 171

(a) The President shall appoint, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, sixteen judges who shall constitute a court of record known as the United States Court of Federal Claims. The court is declared to be a court established under article I of the Constitution of the United States.

(b) The President shall designate one of the judges of the Court of Federal Claims who is less than seventy years of age to serve as chief judge. The chief judge may continue to serve as such until he reaches the age of seventy years or until another judge is designated as chief judge by the President. After the designation of another judge to serve as chief judge, the former chief judge may continue to serve as a judge of the court for the balance of the term to which appointed.

Cite as 28 U.S.C. § 171

Source: June 25, 1948, ch. 646, 62 Stat 898; July 28, 1953, ch. 253, §1, 67 Stat. 226; Sept. 3, 1954, ch. 1263, §39(a), 68 Stat. 1240; Pub. L. 89-425, §1(b), May 11, 1966, 80 Stat. 140; Pub. L. 97-164, title I, §105(a), Apr. 2, 1982, 96 Stat. 27; Pub. L. 102-572, title IX, §902(a), Oct. 29, 1992, 106 Stat. 4516.

Notes from the Office of Law Revision Counsel

current through 5/22/2023

HISTORICAL AND REVISION NOTES

Based on title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed. §241 (Mar. 3, 1911, ch. 231, §136, 36 Stat. 1135; Feb. 25, 1919, ch. 29, §4, 40 Stat. 1157; Dec. 13, 1926, ch. 6, §1 44 Stat. 919).

This section contains a part of section 241 of title 28, U.S.C., 1940 ed. The remainder of such section, relating to tenure, salaries and oath, is incorporated in sections 173 and 453 of this title.

The term "chief judge" was substituted for "Chief Justice." (See reviser's note under section 136 of this title.)

Words "a court of record known as" were added. For similar provision covering other Federal courts, see sections 132, 211, and 251 of this title.

The official status of the Chief Justice of the Court of Claims holding office on the effective date of this act is preserved by section 2 of the bill to enact revised title 28.

Minor changes were made in arrangement and phraseology.

EDITORIAL NOTES

AMENDMENTS

1992- Pub. L. 102-572 substituted "United States Court of Federal Claims" for "United States Claims Court" in subsec. (a) and "Court of Federal Claims" for "Claims Court" in subsec. (b).

1982- Pub. L. 97-164 designated existing provisions as subsec. (a), substituted "sixteen judges who shall constitute a court of record known as the United States Claims Court" for "a chief judge and six associate judges who shall constitute a court of record known as the United States Court of Claims" and "The court is declared to be a court established under article I of the Constitution of the United States" for "Such court is hereby declared to be a court established under article III of the Constitution of the United States" in subsec. (a) as so designated, and added subsec. (b).