- circuit court
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circuit court n: a court that sits in more than one place in a judicial district: asa: a state court usu. with original jurisdiction and sometimes with appellate jurisdictionb: any of the federal courts of appeals— not used technically; see also the judicial system in the back matter◇ Before 1948, the U.S. Courts of Appeals were known as Circuit Courts of Appeals.
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Law. Merriam-Webster. 1996.
- circuit court
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n.A court that hears cases from within a judicial circuit, so-called because its judges traveled a circuit within the region, hearing cases in different places. See also district court
The Essential Law Dictionary. — Sphinx Publishing, An imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. Amy Hackney Blackwell. 2008.
- Circuit Court
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the court in the Republic of Ireland above the District Court, which has both civil and criminal jurisdiction. The country is divided into seven circuits, in each of which there are several towns in which the court sits. In civil matters the judge hears cases without a jury and can award compensation of up to £30,000 and deal with issues relating to land where the rateable value of the land does not exceed £200. As a criminal court, it can deal with indictable offences referred to it by the District Court, when a judge sits with a jury. Certain serious criminal cases, of which the most common are murder and rape, may only be tried in the Central Criminal Court in Dublin. The Circuit Court hears appeals in both criminal and civil cases from the District Court, which take the form of a rehearing of the case. Appeals from the decisions of a circuit judge in a civil case are to the High Court and from it to the Supreme Court. In a criminal case, appeal is to the Court of Criminal Appeal and then the Supreme Court.
Collins dictionary of law. W. J. Stewart. 2001.
- circuit court
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1) The name used for the principal trial court in many states.2) In the federal system, the term may refer to courts within the 13 circuits. Eleven of these circuits cover different geographic areas of the country — for example, the United States Court of Appeal for the Ninth Circuit covers Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. The remaining circuits are the District of Columbia, and the Federal Circuit, (which hears patent, customs, and other specialized cases based on subject matter). The term derives from an age before mechanized transit, when judges and lawyers rode the circuit of their territory to hold court in various places.Category: Representing Yourself in CourtCategory: Small Claims Court & Lawsuits
Nolo’s Plain-English Law Dictionary. Gerald N. Hill, Kathleen Thompson Hill. 2009.
- circuit court
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A specific tribunal that possesses the legal authority to hear cases within its own geographical territory.
Dictionary from West's Encyclopedia of American Law. 2005.
- circuit court
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A specific tribunal that possesses the legal authority to hear cases within its own geographical territory.
Short Dictionary of (mostly American) Legal Terms and Abbreviations.
