Each Justice is assigned one or more Circuits over which he or she is responsible for emergency petitions, stays, and certain other administrative duties that may require quick action from the Supreme Court. It is more expedient for a single justice to determine the disposition of certain motions than for the entire bench to convene, debate and vote on mundane issues (especially those that arise at odd hours).
If the justice presiding over a particular Circuit believes circumstances of a motion or petition warrant the attention of the Court, he or she can present the matter for review.
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Not exactly. "Preside" means "to be in charge of," and that responsibility falls to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court or, in his (or her) absence, the Senior Associate Justice (justice who has served on the court longest). All Supreme Court justices are assigned one or more Circuits over which they have responsibility for emergency orders, per federal law (18 USC § 42): "The Chief Justice of the United States and the associate justices of the Supreme Court shall from time to time be allotted as circuit justices among the circuits by order of the Supreme Court. "The Chief Justice may make such allotments in vacation. A justice may be assigned to more than one circuit, and two or more justices may be assigned to the same circuit." The justices do not preside over the Circuits, however. US District Courts typically seat only one judge per case to preside over the Court; the US Court of Appeals Circuit Courts typically provide for appellate review by a three-judge panel, with one of the three presiding over the panel.
On March 3, 1891, Congress passed the Evarts Act(Judiciary Act of 1891) that created nine US Circuit Court of Appeals for each of the established circuits. These intermediate appellate courts were designed to reduce the Supreme Court's burgeoning caseload.The Circuit Court of Appeals had appellate jurisdiction over cases from US District Court as well as from the original Circuit Courts (which had both original and appellate jurisdiction). The old Circuit Courts were gradually phased out, with most cases of original jurisdiction being assigned to US District Court and appellate jurisdiction being assigned to the Circuit Court of Appeals.Congress added the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in 1893.While the Evarts Act also limited the categories of cases that could be appealed the Supreme Court, the justices did not gain discretion over the cases it heard until 1925.In the Judicial Code of 1948, the name of the appellate courts was officially changed from US Circuit Court of Appeals to the US Courts of Appeals for the [designated] Circuit(e.g., US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, or US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit).
Courts of Appeals is the intermediate-level federal court the courts of appeals is considered the workhorse of the court system.
Congress established the US Courts of Appeals under the Evarts Act (Judiciary Act) of 1801, assigning one court for each of the nine judicial circuits. The Evarts Act reduced the Supreme Court's caseload at a time when the justices lacked judicial discretion (the ability to choose which cases they hear), an important development in the history of the federal judiciary.The Courts of Appeals officially adopted the name US Court of Appeals Circuit Courts in the judicial code of 1948.There are currently thirteen US Courts of Appeals Circuits, numbered First through Eleventh (e.g., US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit), plus the District of Columbia Circuit and the Federal Circuit.
US Court of Appeals Circuit Courts, which is part of the federal judicial system. Of the thirteen intermediate appellate courts, twelve have territorial jurisdiction. The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has subject matter jurisdiction over such issues as patent appeals, claims against the United States, etc.For more information on the US Court of Appeals Circuit Courts, see Related Links, below.