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.[1] 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.[2] The term, however, lives on in the name "circuit court", a colloquialism commonly used to refer to the United States courts of appeals.
Under the practice known as "circuit riding," each justice was assigned to one of three geographical circuits and traveled to the designated meeting places within the districts of that circuit.
The practice was largely abandoned with the establishment of permanent courthouses and laws requiring parties to appear before a sitting judge.