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circuit judge

A Federal District Court judge authorized to ride circuit, with jurisdiction over civil suits and major federal crimes and appellate jurisdiction over United States district courts.

The United States and its territories were divided into circuits according to region. Each circuit was assigned a Supreme Court justice who would spend the majority of the year traveling to each district within his jurisdiction to preside over local cases, great and small. The remainder of his time was spent at the capital to hear appeals.[1]

Point Blank: In 1871, Bret Maverick was jailed for running a small confidence game on a local bully in Bent Forks,[3] Nebraska. Unable to pay the $100 bail, Sheriff Wes Corwin told Bret the circuit judge would be riding through in about ten days' time.[2] At the time, the circuit judge with jurisdiction over the Eighth Circuit, which included Nebraska, was John Forrest Dillon.[4]

Ghost Rider: On June 13, 1872, Bret Maverick was arrested and jailed for the murder of Bert Nicholson in White Rock, Texas. Bret was to be held until the following week when the circuit judge would be in town and give him with a fair trial. Bret was broken out of jail by Felton and was able to prove Felton was the real murderer before the circuit judge, a Judge McClure, arrived.[5] At the time, the circuit judge with jurisdiction over the Fifth Circuit, with jurisdiction over Eastern Texas, was William Burnham Woods. With such a large jurisdiction, it is likely that Judge Woods assigned a District Judge McClure to travel the part of the circuit that included White Rock.[3]