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31-613: There are six circuits in total: Midland, Northern , North Eastern, Western, Wales and Chester, and South Eastern. There is also the European Circuit, which is an association of barristers with interests in European law. Though it is called a circuit and recognised by the Bar Council , it does not serve any administrative or judicial purposes. Circuits are divided along local authority area borders. The term "circuit"

62-637: A circuit junior or treasurer , who will often form its executive committee . Circuit leaders are entitled to sit on the Bar Council ex officio . Northern Circuit The Northern Circuit is a circuit of the General Council of the Bar and English judiciary . The Northern Circuit stretches from Carlisle in Cumberland at its northernmost point, running through Lakeland to

93-553: A judicial circuit can encompass one or more counties (see Missouri Circuit Courts ). Each circuit court can have several divisions, including circuit, associate, small claims , probate , family, or drug court. Each division hears cases within its particular area of subject-matter jurisdiction , and jurisdiction is based on the size or type of a civil claim or the severity or type of a criminal charge. Drug court , for example, hears only drug-related criminal cases. Several U.S. states have state supreme courts that traditionally "ride

124-674: A judicial function as judges (except for judges of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court ) are appointed to, and will only sit in, a specific circuit. This avoids judges having to travel large distances to hear cases. The circuits system is overseen by the Lord Chancellor . Each circuit elects a leader to represent it, to serve a three-year term. The current leaders are: Potential leaders must be King's Counsel . A circuit may also appoint other leadership positions, such as

155-628: A location other than Dublin . In the United States, circuit courts were first established in the Thirteen British Colonies . In 1789, the United States circuit courts were United States federal courts established in each federal judicial district . These circuit courts exercised both original (first instance) and appellate jurisdiction . They existed until 1912. The original jurisdiction formerly exercised by

186-569: A number of counties. The court consist of a President and thirty-seven judges. Although there is strictly speaking just one Circuit Court, a sitting of the Circuit Court in any particular location is referred to as name of town Circuit Court, e.g. Trim Circuit Court. The High Court also sits "on circuit" twice yearly, though this is called the High Court on Circuit rather than a circuit court. In this case, "on circuit" means sitting in

217-741: A number of famous members, such as F. E. Smith (later to become Lord Birkenhead ), Lord Shawcross QC (Leading Counsel at the Nuremberg Trials after World War II) and George Carman QC . Since 1876 the Circuit which presently comprises 10 per cent of the Bar has produced the following judges: In 2001, one Law Lord , three Lord Justices of Appeal (including the Vice President of the Court of Appeal , Criminal Division), one Lady Justice of Appeal and 12 High Court Judges were members of

248-428: A single federal courthouse, while others, such as the large Ninth Circuit , are spread across many courthouses. Since three-judge federal appellate panels are randomly selected from all sitting circuit judges, Ninth Circuit judges must often "ride the circuit," though this duty has become much easier to carry out since the development of modern air travel . Under the original Judiciary Act of 1789 and subsequent acts,

279-469: Is derived from the English custom of itinerant courts whose judges periodically travelled on pre-set paths - or circuits - to hear cases from different areas. The first formal circuits were defined in 1293, when a statute was enacted which established four assize circuits. It was long assumed that these circuits originated with the eyre in common pleas during the reign of Henry II , but during

310-437: Is derived from the English custom of itinerant courts whose judges periodically travelled on pre-set paths—circuits—to hear cases from different areas. In 1293, a statute was enacted which formally defined four assize circuits. These would change frequently over the next few centuries. By the 1500s, there were six different circuits: Home , Midland, Northern, Oxford, Northern, and Western. This remained largely constant until

341-552: The Federal Circuit ). There are several other federal courts that bear the phrase "Court of Appeals" in their names, but they are not Article III courts and are not considered to sit in appellate circuits. The federal courts of appeals are intermediate courts, between the district courts (the federal trial courts ) and the Supreme Court. Smaller circuits, such as the Second Circuit and Third Circuit , are based at

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372-616: The justices of the Supreme Court of the United States in Washington, D.C. had the responsibility of "riding circuit" and personally hearing both appeals and trials in the circuit courts, in addition to their caseload back in the capital. This duty was reasonable when the United States consisted of the original Thirteen Colonies along the East Coast of the United States , but became increasingly onerous and impractical with

403-566: The 1998 Review of Criminal Justice Boundaries. Circuits effectively function as professional associations for barristers, providing support and advice for their members. They work with HM Courts and Tribunals Service and other government bodies, as well as hosting continuing professional development and social events. Each circuit is represented on the Bar Council through its leader and other appointed representatives. They are closely linked with specialist bar associations , who may appoint representatives to each circuit. Circuits also serve

434-467: The 19th century. Twice each year, judges "literally rode each circuit," meaning that a pair of common law judges assigned to a circuit rode on horseback through all the county towns and several other important towns in each circuit and heard cases. On the American frontier , a judge often travelled on horseback along with a group of lawyers. Abraham Lincoln was one such attorney who regularly rode

465-505: The 19th century. Twice each year, judges "literally rode each circuit," meaning that a pair of common law judges assigned to a circuit rode on horseback through all the county towns and several other important towns in each circuit and heard cases. The current circuits originate from the 1969 Beeching Commission, which recommended the merger of the Midland and Oxford circuits. Since then only minor boundary changes have been made, such as in

496-602: The Bar had chambers on the circuit. There were 29 in Liverpool, 32 in Manchester and 1 solitary practitioner in Preston. Today the circuit has a membership of some 1100 barristers of whom about 77 are Queen's Counsel , practising from chambers in Manchester, Liverpool, Preston and Chester . The current circuit leader is Jaime Hamilton KC, elected in 2022. Other members with leadership roles include: There have been

527-764: The Circuit Leaders. In Ireland the Circuit Court is part of the Courts of First Instance , senior to the District Court but junior to the High Court (Ireland) . It was first established as the Circuit Court of Justice under the Courts of Justice Act 1924 and replaced the County Court on the civil side, and quarter sessions and recorder's courts on the criminal side, as well as some of

558-578: The Midland Circuit. In 1873, Durham and Lancashire were added, following the Supreme Court of Judicature Act 1873. In 1876, the Circuit was divided in two. That part to the west of the Pennines (Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire) retained the old name. The land to the east (Northumberland, Yorkshire and Durham) became the territory of the newly formed North-Eastern Circuit . The two circuits have maintained strong links. In 1876, 62 members of

589-626: The Northern Circuit. In 1994, of the five female High Court Judges, four were Northern Circuiteers. Rose Heilbron QC was the first female High Court judge from the Circuit, 20 years earlier. There have been other members who have attained fame outside the law – the author John Buchan , W. S. Gilbert and James Boswell , the biographer of Dr. Samuel Johnson . Boswell was Junior of the Circuit. North Eastern Circuit Circuit courts are court systems in several common law jurisdictions. It may refer to: The term "circuit court"

620-413: The United States circuit courts is now exercised by the United States district courts . Their appellate jurisdiction is now exercised by the United States courts of appeals , which were known as the United States circuit courts of appeals from their establishment in 1894 until 1947. The federal courts of appeals sit permanently in 13 appellate circuits (11 regional circuits as well as a DC Circuit and

651-438: The appointment of justices of trailbaston by King Edward I . Under King Edward III , two statutes were enacted in 1328 and 1330 which restored the assize circuits and reorganized the counties of England into six circuits where assizes were supposed to be held thrice yearly (but were more often held twice each year). By 1337, the six assize circuits had stabilized: During the 1500s, two major changes occurred. Middlesex

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682-575: The basis for administration of the Bar in England and Wales except for Cheshire. Until 2007 for court administration purposes it formed part of the Wales and Chester Circuit. When in 2007 it became part of the Northern Circuit for court administrative purposes post devolution, the "Wales and Chester Circuit" continued to be the Circuit Bar. The Circuit Bars are represented on the Bar Council through

713-492: The circuit in Illinois, along with Circuit Judge David Davis . In more settled areas, a stagecoach would be used. Eventually, the legal caseload in a county would become great enough to warrant the establishment of a local judiciary. Most of these local judicial circuits (that is, in terms of the actual routes travelled by judges) have been thus replaced by judges regularly stationed at local courthouses, but in many areas,

744-627: The circuit" in the sense of hearing oral arguments at multiple locations throughout their jurisdictions each year. Among the states with circuit-riding supreme courts are Alaska , California , Idaho , Oregon , Pennsylvania , Tennessee , and Washington . Courts serving certain areas particularly in Northern Canada , such as the Nunavut Court of Justice and courts serving northern Quebec , travel as circuit courts to hear cases in remote communities. Courts serving remote areas in

775-501: The country's rapid westward expansion during the 19th century, and was repealed by Congress with the enacting of the Judiciary Act of 1891 . The U.S. Supreme Court justices still retain vestiges of the days of riding circuit; each justice is designated to hear certain interlocutory appeals from specific circuits and can unilaterally decide them or refer them to the entire court. The court's customary summer recess originated as

806-533: The jurisdiction of the assizes . These are heard by a judge sitting alone. It also has jurisdiction to hear appeals from the District Court. Appeals from the court lie to the High Court on the civil side and the Court of Criminal Appeal on the criminal side. The Circuit Court is so-called because of the circuits on which its judges travel, namely Dublin, Cork, Northern, Western, Eastern, South Western, South Eastern, and Midland, each of which are composed of

837-401: The late 1950s, legal historians such as Ralph Pugh recognized that the eyre's "connection with later circuit justices is rather collateral than lineal", and the eyre was merely one of a number of experiments in "systematized itinerant justice" undertaken by the English crown during the late 12th century and the 13th century. The development of the assize circuits was interrupted in 1305 by

868-465: The legacy term remains in use. England and Wales is divided into six circuits for the purposes of the administration of justice: the Midland Circuit, North Eastern Circuit, Northern Circuit , South Eastern Circuit, Western Circuit, and the Wales and Chester Circuit. The system is overseen by the Lord Chancellor . The membership consists of High Court Judges, Circuit Judges, District Judges, law practitioners and academic lawyers. The Circuits also form

899-618: The port of Whitehaven in the West, on through Preston and Burnley in Lancashire to Manchester , Liverpool and Chester . It has chambers in Cheshire , Liverpool, Manchester, and Preston. It dates from 1176 when Henry II sent his judges on circuit to do justice in his name. The Circuit originally encompassed the whole of the North of England. In 1863, Yorkshire was transferred to

930-520: The time during which the justices would leave Washington and ride circuit (since dirt roads were more passable in the summer). Many U.S. states have state courts called "circuit courts." Most are trial courts of general , original jurisdiction . In Louisiana , the intermediate appellate courts are called the Louisiana Circuit Courts of Appeal . There are five separate judicial circuits. In many states, such as Missouri ,

961-622: Was removed from the Home Circuit and grouped with the adjacent City of London (which was never part of the circuits), and Oxfordshire and Berkshire were transferred from the Western Circuit to the Oxford Circuit. The Welsh county of Monmouthshire was also transferred into the Oxford Circuit. After that, the circuits of England remained largely static for almost four centuries, until they were again reorganized during

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