Glossary
Circuit justice
Supreme Court glossaryAll terms
Definition
The circuit justice is the justice assigned to a region of federal courts, called a circuit, who first receives that region's emergency applications.
Why it matters
One justice sees each emergency request first and decides whether to act alone or bring in the rest of the Court.
In practice
A circuit justice can grant or deny a request alone, pause things briefly, ask the other side to respond, or refer it to the full Court. Significant requests are usually referred.
Note which justice received the application and whether it was referred; a referral means all nine justices will decide.
Common confusion
An order from one justice is not a ruling by the whole Court. If one justice turns a request down, the side that asked can take it to another justice.