This conflict started in 1861.

The Civil War in the United States began in 1861, after decades of simmering tensions between northern and southern states over slavery, states’ rights and westward expansion.

US District Courts (trial courts) use juries as triers of fact. 

*The Sixth Amendment guarantees the right to a trial by jury in criminal cases; however, the defendant also has the option of requesting a bench trial where the judge takes the place of the jury. 
---> Appellate courts, such as the US Courts of Appeals Circuit Courts and the US Supreme Court, do not use juries because they are not triers of fact.