28 U.S.C. § 451: Definitions

As used in this title: The term “court of the United States” includes the Supreme Court of the United States, courts of appeals, district courts constituted by chapter 5 of this title, including the Court of International Trade and any court created by Act of Congress the judges of which are entitled to hold office during good behavior. The terms “district court” and “district court of the United States” mean the courts constituted by chapter 5 of this title. The term “judge of the United States” includes judges of the courts of appeals, district courts, Court of International Trade and any court created by Act of Congress, the judges of which are entitled to hold office during good behavior. The term “justice of the United States” includes the Chief Justice of the United States and the associate justices of the Supreme Court. The terms “district” and “judicial district” means the districts enumerated in Chapter 5 of this title. The term “department” means one of the executive departments enumerated in section 1 of Title 5 , unless the context shows that such term was intended to describe the executive, legislative, or judicial branches of the government. The term “agency” includes any department, independent establishment, commission, administration, authority, board or bureau of the United States or any corporation in which the United States has a proprietary interest, unless the context shows that such term was intended to be used in a more limited sense. All laws of the United States in force on September 1, 1948 , in which reference is made to a ‘circuit court of appeals’; ‘senior circuit judge’; ‘senior district judge’; ‘presiding judge’; ‘chief justice’, except when reference to the Chief Justice of the United States is intended; or ‘justice’, except when used with respect to a justice of the Supreme Court of the United States in his capacity as such or as a circuit justice, are hereby amended by substituting ‘court of appeals’ for ‘circuit court of appeals’; ‘chief judge of the circuit’ for ‘senior circuit judge’; ‘chief judge of the district court’ for ‘senior district judge’; ‘chief judge’ for ‘presiding judge’; ‘chief judge’ for ‘chief justice’, except when reference to the Chief Justice of the United States is intended; and ‘judge’ for ‘justice’, except when the latter term is used with respect to a justice of the Supreme Court of the United States in his capacity as such or as a circuit justice. All laws of the United States in force on September 1, 1948 , in which reference is made to the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia or to the District Court of the United States for the District of Columbia are amended by substituting ‘United States District Court for the District of Columbia’ for such designations. All laws of the United States in force on September 1, 1948 , in which reference is made to the ‘Conference of Senior Circuit Judges,’ or to the ‘Judicial Conference of Senior Circuit Judges’ are amended by substituting ‘Judicial Conference of the United States’ for such designations. This section shall not be construed to amend historical references to courts or judicial offices which have no present or future application to such courts or offices.”