The Kangaroo Court

There's a number of theories about how this term came to popularity, but none of them are close to what Alex is saying. In the early 1800s there were corrupt courts in an area of vicksburg, Mississippi Called the kangaroo district and so the name stuck from that. One theory is that the term comes from the characterization of these courts jumping to conclusions much like a kangaroo. The third idea has to do with these amateur trials that were being held in the california gold rush Yeah, like triple a trials sure. These were primarily for prosecuting claim jumpers.