Circuit court

From dKosopedia

Category: Judiciary of the United States

Circuit courts previously were United States federal courts established in each federal judicial district. The old United States 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 a 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.

In some U.S. states, including Illinois and many of the Southern states, the state court of superior general original jurisdiction is known as the circuit court.

In Virginia, 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 hears 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[1].

References

• Fauquier County, Virginia, Circuit Court Clerk.