Circuit court
From Free net encyclopedia
Circuit court is the name of court systems in several common law jurisdictions.
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United States
Federal courts
The United States Circuit Courts were United States federal courts established in each federal judicial district. These circuit courts exercised both original and appellate jurisdiction. They existed from 1789 to 1912. The original jurisdiction formerly exercised by the United States circuit courts is now exercised by the United States district courts, and their appellate jurisdiction is now exercised by the United States courts of appeals.
The name "circuit court" is also informally used to refer to the existing United States court of appeals. Those courts were officially known as United States circuit courts of appeals from their establishment in 1894 until their name was changed to United States courts of appeals in 1947.
State courts
In some U.S. states, including Illinois, Oregon, and many of the southern states, the state court of superior general original jurisdiction is known as the "circuit court".
In Virginia, for example, a circuit court is a court of record that has appellate jurisdiction over a county's general district court and juvenile and domestic relations court and original jurisdiction over major civil cases and all the county's felony cases. A circuit court has power to issue death sentences and empanel grand juries. The court's decisions become legal precedents.
Ireland
In the Republic of Ireland a "circuit court" is part of the Courts of First Instance, which replaced the Assize Court used before the Irish Free State reformed the justice system. The circut court system includes a judge and jury system, but is not allowed to hear, among others, murder, treason or rape cases. The court is generally limited to fines of £30,000 (Punt) (about €38,100).
See also: Courts of the Republic of Ireland.