{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.judicial-district","code":"thing-q253836","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q253836/","name":"judicial district","alternateNames":["judicial district in Sweden","judicial district of Ohio","circuits of England and Wales","birk","tithing","judicial district of Quebec"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.4","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Physical world and living systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"PHY","domain":["PHY.PLC"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"A territorial division for the administration of justice, defining which court has jurisdiction over an area, with forms the registry aliases name such as Swedish district court areas, the judicial districts of Quebec, Ohio s appellate court districts, the six circuits of England and Wales, regional groupings for barristers and judges, historical Scandinavian birk jurisdictions, and the medieval English tithing, a unit of mutual responsibility within frankpledge rather than a court district; the registry alias tithing appears misfiled.","purpose":"Let an agent explain judicial districts, relay how court jurisdictions are drawn and named in different legal systems from court and legal history sources, describe the named divisions and flag the tithing alias, and distinguish judicial districts from courts themselves, electoral districts, administrative counties and police areas.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["The district defines territorial court jurisdiction.","Its organisation varies by legal system.","Historical forms of judicial districts exist.","It is an administrative territorial unit for justice whose boundaries may differ from those of general administrative units."],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"understand","name":"Understand","description":"What a judicial district is.","layers":[{"id":"definition","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","findings":[{"id":"definition-finding","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","questions":[{"text":"What is a judicial district, and how does it differ from courts, electoral districts, counties and police areas?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Is the question about which court handles a case, which may need a lawyer or court office, or about legal history?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"named","name":"Named","description":"Named divisions.","findings":[{"id":"named-finding","name":"Named","description":"Named.","questions":[{"text":"What are Swedish, Ohio and Quebec judicial districts, English circuits and birks, and why is a tithing different?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which entry fits the specific division?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"systems","name":"Systems","description":"Systems.","layers":[{"id":"common","name":"Common law","description":"Common law systems.","findings":[{"id":"common-finding","name":"Common law","description":"Common law.","questions":[{"text":"How are districts and circuits organised in the US and England?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which references are standard?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"civil","name":"Civil law","description":"Civil law systems.","findings":[{"id":"civil-finding","name":"Civil law","description":"Civil law.","questions":[{"text":"How do Sweden and Quebec organise court districts?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which sources are cited?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"history","name":"History","description":"History.","layers":[{"id":"medieval","name":"Medieval","description":"Medieval units.","findings":[{"id":"medieval-finding","name":"Medieval","description":"Medieval.","questions":[{"text":"What were tithings, hundreds and birks?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits frankpledge?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"reform","name":"Reform","description":"Court reform.","findings":[{"id":"reform-finding","name":"Reform","description":"Reform.","questions":[{"text":"How have court district mergers changed access to justice?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits access to justice?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"context","name":"Context","description":"Practice.","layers":[{"id":"venue","name":"Venue","description":"Venue rules.","findings":[{"id":"venue-finding","name":"Venue","description":"Venue.","questions":[{"text":"How do venue rules decide where a case is heard, in general terms?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits venue (law)?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"circuits","name":"Circuits","description":"Barristers circuits.","findings":[{"id":"circuits-finding","name":"Circuits","description":"Circuits.","questions":[{"text":"What role do circuits play for barristers in England and Wales?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits Bar of England and Wales?","kind":"action"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["State which court has jurisdiction over an area from official sources.","Explain how judicial districts are organised in a stated country."],"mustNot":["Tell a person which court to file in as legal advice for their case.","Present abolished or redrawn districts as current.","Apply one country's district structure to another.","File or serve documents in a court without instruction from the party."],"requiresHuman":["Any filing or step in proceedings, which needs the party's instruction."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Filing in the wrong district can cost people their claim or their deadline.","Redrawing districts can put justice far from poorer or rural communities."],"affectedParties":["Litigants","Rural and poorer communities","Lawyers and court staff"]},"owners":{"steward":"The judicial authority or ministry of justice of the jurisdiction.","roles":[],"masterSystems":["Official court organization registers"]},"relations":[{"target":"Q56061","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"administrative territorial entity","type":"related","note":"in registry terms"},{"target":"court","type":"related"},{"target":"United States federal judicial district","type":"related"},{"target":"tithing","type":"related","note":"misfiled alias"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.judicial-district","Wikidata: Q253836 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q253836)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"required","items":["England and Wales circuits: 6 count","Quebec judicial districts: about 36 count - approximate","frankpledge tithing: group of about ten households note - medieval England"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"required","items":["Territorial unit of court jurisdiction","Judicial district in Sweden, judicial district of Ohio, circuits of England and Wales, birk, tithing, judicial district of Quebec","Courts are institutions; electoral districts elect representatives; counties are administrative; police areas are for policing","Not a visible object; areas on jurisdiction maps."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain jurisdiction mapping","relay national systems","describe named divisions","distinguish related territorial units"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Stale district boundaries","Confusing districts with courts","Misfiled tithing alias"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["Court organisation acts","Constitutional provisions on courts"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Organising court jurisdiction.","district court areas","appellate districts","judicial circuits","historical private jurisdictions such as birk","federal judicial districts"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q253836: judicial district","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q253836","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Judicial district","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judicial_district","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["The registry alias tithing should be moved to frankpledge","How should court sources be linked by country?","Should birk be a separate historical entry?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q253836/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q253836/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-13T20:55:37Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"filled","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-07T10:10:29+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass"},"score":1.0}}