Visiting judge
Encyclopedia
A visiting judge is a judge appointed to hear a case as a member of a court to which he or she does not ordinarily belong (cf. pro hac vice
for attorneys). In many United States Courts of Appeals
it is not uncommon for a district judge to sit on a panel as a visiting judge; less frequently a judge from another circuit (in active service or, more commonly, in senior status
). Retired Supreme Court justices have done the same, most recently Justice O'Connor, and very unusually, sitting Justices (in 1984, for example, then-Justice
William Rehnquist
served as a visiting judge for a jury trial
in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
.). This is sometimes done to ease caseload pressures, and sometimes (as in Rehnquist's case) for experience.
Pro hac vice
Pro hac vice , Latin: "for this occasion" or "for this event", is a legal term usually referring to a lawyer who has not been admitted to practice in a certain jurisdiction but has been allowed to participate in a particular case in that jurisdiction.The right to appear pro hac vice is not...
for attorneys). In many United States Courts of Appeals
United States courts of appeals
The United States courts of appeals are the intermediate appellate courts of the United States federal court system...
it is not uncommon for a district judge to sit on a panel as a visiting judge; less frequently a judge from another circuit (in active service or, more commonly, in senior status
Senior status
Senior status is a form of semi-retirement for United States federal judges, and judges in some state court systems. After federal judges have reached a certain combination of age and years of service on the federal courts, they are allowed to assume senior status...
). Retired Supreme Court justices have done the same, most recently Justice O'Connor, and very unusually, sitting Justices (in 1984, for example, then-Justice
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States are the members of the Supreme Court of the United States other than the Chief Justice of the United States...
William Rehnquist
William Rehnquist
William Hubbs Rehnquist was an American lawyer, jurist, and political figure who served as an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States and later as the 16th Chief Justice of the United States...
served as a visiting judge for a jury trial
Jury trial
A jury trial is a legal proceeding in which a jury either makes a decision or makes findings of fact which are then applied by a judge...
in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia is one of two United States district courts serving the Commonwealth of Virginia...
.). This is sometimes done to ease caseload pressures, and sometimes (as in Rehnquist's case) for experience.