DeWitt County Circuit Court

City: Clinton

County: DeWitt

State: Illinois

When the Illinois General Assembly created DeWitt County in 1839, it assigned the DeWitt County Circuit Court to the Eighth Judicial Circuit, where it remained for the duration of Abraham Lincoln’s legal career. As the Eighth was Lincoln’s home circuit during most of the years he was a traveling circuit lawyer, Lincoln handled many cases in DeWitt County Circuit Court, most notably a series of actions in which he acted as defense attorney for the Illinois Central Railroad Company.

An Act to Establish Circuit Courts; For Lincoln's cases, search Court Name, "De Witt County Circuit Court," Martha L. Benner and Cullom Davis et al., eds., The Law Practice of Abraham Lincoln: Complete Documentary Edition, 2d edition (Springfield: Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, 2009), http://www.lawpracticeofabrahamlincoln.org.