circuit court

noun

: a court that sits at two or more places within one judicial district

Examples of circuit court in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Schimel, the candidate backed by Republicans, is a former state attorney general who is a circuit court judge in Waukesha County. Oren Oppenheim, ABC News, 12 Mar. 2025 There, a federal circuit court held that President Abraham Lincoln was powerless to suspend the writ of habeas corpus because the Constitution entrusted the suspension power exclusively to Congress. Bruce Fein, Baltimore Sun, 3 Mar. 2025 Two federal circuit courts have reached different conclusions. Suzanne Eckes, The Conversation, 27 Feb. 2025 The civil complaint was filed in a circuit court in Palm Beach County, Florida, by a woman identified in court documents as Jane Doe. Angela Yang, NBC News, 11 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for circuit court

Word History

First Known Use

1708, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of circuit court was in 1708

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Circuit court.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/circuit%20court. Accessed 17 Mar. 2025.

Legal Definition

circuit court

noun
: a court that sits in more than one place in a judicial district: as
a
: a state court usually with original jurisdiction and sometimes with appellate jurisdiction
b
: any of the federal courts of appeals
not used technically

Note: Before 1948, the U.S. Courts of Appeals were known as Circuit Courts of Appeals.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!