District

A division of territory.

1.

Originally, the space within which a lord could coerce and punish — distrain. * The circuit within which a man might be compelled to appear, or the place in which one hath the power of distraining.* 2. A division of a State or Territory for: any purpose whatever: as, coZZech'Jwjdistrict, for the collection of revenue duties}^ongressional district, for the election of representatives in Congress; election district, for purposes of elections, municipal, State, or United States; judicial district, for judicial purposes — with its district court, district judge, district attorney, and district clerk; land district, for regulating sales of public lands; school district, for purposes connected with the public schools; tax district, for the levying and collection of taxes. May designate an area larger or smaller than a county; as, the district from which the jury in a criminal case may be drawn." A " taxing " district is not necessarily a large division of a State's territory, like a county or parish, as, in the act of Congress of June 7, 1862, § 6; it may be any portion of territory solely for the assessment of taxes.'

See D, 3; Precinct, District attorney.

See Attoenet-Gen- ERAIi. ' Eoorbach v. Lord, 4 Conn. 3 'See 1 Bouvier's Law Diet. 544; 2 Kent, 420, 426. s Dawley v. Alsdorf, 25 Hun, 227 (1881). * [Webster's Diet. 5 [Jacob's Law Diet. 8 State V. Kemp, 34 Minn. 62 (1886).'' District clerk, court, judge. See Courts, United States. District of Columbia. Is neither a State nor a Tei-ritory. Congress is authorized " to exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States." i Maryland and Virginia ceded territory on the Potomac, which Congress, by act of July 16, 1790, accepted. In December, 1800, the seat of government was removed from Philadelphia. By the act of July 11, 1846, Congress retroceded the county of Alexandria to Virginia. The District constitutes the county of Washington. A citizen of the District of Columbia Is not a citizen' of a State. 2 The laws in force December 1, 1873, were revised and republished, by direction of Congrecs, in a separate volume known as the Bevised Statutes relating to the District of Columbia.' See Courts, page 384; Lew, 3.