Legal Definitions - circuit riding

Circuit riding

Circuit riding is when judges travel between towns in a judicial district to hear cases in each town. This used to be called a circuit. Nowadays, this practice is not used as much.

For example, a judge might travel to three different towns in a week to hear cases. They would spend a day or two in each town before moving on to the next one. This way, people in each town could have their cases heard without having to travel far.

Another example is when a judge travels to a prison to hear cases from inmates. This is called a prison circuit. The judge would hear cases from inmates who are unable to travel to a courthouse.

These examples illustrate how circuit riding works. Judges travel to different places to hear cases, making it easier for people to have their cases heard without having to travel far.