In the United States, circuit riding was the practice of a judge, sometimes referred to as a circuit rider, traveling to a judicial district to preside over court cases there.
A defining feature of American federal courts for over a century after the founding of the United States, circuit riding has since been mostly abolished. The term, however, lives on in the name "
circuit court", a colloquialism commonly used to refer to the
United States courts of appeals.
History
Shortly after the ratification of the
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the Supremacy Clause, supreme law of the United States, United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, on March 4, 1789. Originally includi ...
in 1788,
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
passed the
Judiciary Act of 1789
The Judiciary Act of 1789 (ch. 20, ) was a United States federal statute enacted on September 24, 1789, during the first session of the First United States Congress. It established the federal judiciary of the United States. Article Three of th ...
, creating the
U.S. circuit courts. These circuit courts did not have appointed judges; rather, two
Supreme Court Justices and a local U.S. district court judge would preside over cases. This created the practice of circuit riding, wherein Supreme Court justices would travel to designated meeting places in their assigned circuit to hear cases.
Circuit riding in the early United States was often an arduous process, requiring long travel on horseback or carriage over harsh terrain, months-long extended stays away from home, and difficulties in acquiring lodging (Congress did not provide accommodations).
Circuit riding temporarily ceased in 1801, when the
Federalist
The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters call themselves ''Federalists''.
History Europe federation
In Europe, proponents of deep ...
majority in Congress established new circuit courts that were staffed with Federalist-appointed judges. The next year this reorganization was repealed, and circuit riding resumed under the original circuit court structure. In 1891, Congress passed the
Judiciary Act of 1891, creating the
United States courts of appeals, which assumed most of the routine functions of the circuit courts, significantly curtailing the need for circuit riding. The circuit courts continued to exist (in significantly reduced form) until January 1, 1912, when Congress abolished them under the
Judicial Code of 1911, eliminating the practice of circuit riding.
See also
*
Assizes
The assizes (), or courts of assize, were periodic courts held around England and Wales until 1972, when together with the quarter sessions they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court. The assizes ex ...
— a type of judicial courts, to which circuit riding often applied
*
Itinerant court
An itinerant court was a migratory form of government shared in European kingdoms during the Early Middle Ages. It was an alternative to having a capital city, a permanent political center governed by a kingdom.
Medieval Western Europe was gener ...
— older, similar concept for royalty and governments
References
Courts
Types of travel
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