Bill > S3020

This bill proposes to split the existing Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals into two separate circuits: a new Ninth Circuit (comprising California, Guam, Hawaii, and the Northern Mariana Islands) and a newly created Twelfth Circuit (comprising Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington). The legislation incrementally adds new federal judgeships across multiple districts from 2025 to 2035, with specific allocations for California, Florida, Texas, and several other states. The bill provides for the reassignment of existing judges to the new circuits, allows senior judges to choose their circuit assignment, and ensures that judges' seniority remains unchanged. It also establishes provisions for temporarily assigning judges between the new Ninth and Twelfth Circuits to help manage court workloads. The Twelfth Circuit's headquarters will be located in Seattle, Washington, and the bill authorizes appropriations to support these changes, with funding levels increasing annually and adjusted for inflation. The goal of the legislation is to improve judicial efficiency by reducing the caseload of the currently overburdened Ninth Circuit, which has been the largest and most populous federal appeals court in the United States.

Justice

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3020/all-info