The All Writs Act is a United States federal statute, codified at , which authorizes the United States federal courts

United States federal courts

The United States federal courts make up the judiciary branch of federal government of the United States organized under the United States Constitution and laws of the federal government.-Categories:...

 to "issue all writ

Writ

In common law, a writ is a formal written order issued by a body with administrative or judicial jurisdiction; in modern usage, this body is generally a court...

s necessary or appropriate in aid of their respective jurisdictions and agreeable to the usages and principles of law".

The act in its original form was part of the Judiciary Act of 1789

Judiciary Act of 1789

The United States Judiciary Act of 1789 was a landmark statute adopted on September 24, 1789 in the first session of the First United States Congress establishing the U.S. federal judiciary...

. The current form of the act was first passed in 1911, and has been amended several times since then.