The Office of the Circuit Executive was established by Congress in 1971 to provide professional administrative assistance to the Judicial Councils, Judicial Conferences, and Chief Judge of each Circuit. The Circuit Executive Office's duties include administration of nonjudicial activities including budget, personnel, property, space, and records management; providing reports and recommendations to the Chief Judge of the Circuit, the Fourth Circuit Judicial Council, and the Judicial Conference of the United States; and liaising with the courts in the various states and with bar associations, the U.S. Marshals Service, news media and any other groups with a reasonable interest in the administration of the Fourth Circuit. The Fourth Circuit encompasses the states of Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and North and South Carolina. It is composed of a US Court of Appeals and nine Judicial District, each with a US District Court, US Bankruptcy Court, US Probation Office, and Federal Public Defenders Office. In the three judicial districts of North Carolina, the Fourth Circuit has three Bankruptcy Administrator Offices.