Timeline September 1789

Events in September 1789 2

• 1789 Judiciary Act of 1789 establishes federal courts Congress creates the U.S. federal court system and the Supreme Court The First Congress passed the Judiciary Act, establishing the Supreme Court with a chief justice and five associate justices, along with district and circuit courts. The act laid out the structure of the federal judiciary that remains largely intact today. It also created the office of Attorney General.
• 1789 Congress proposes the Bill of Rights Twelve constitutional amendments sent to the states for ratification The First Congress approved twelve amendments to the Constitution and sent them to the states for ratification. Ten of these would be ratified in 1791 and become known as the Bill of Rights, guaranteeing fundamental civil liberties. James Madison was the principal author of the amendments.