FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 21, 2025
CRAPO, RISCH REINTRODUCE BILL TO SPLIT NINTH CIRCUIT COURT OF APPEALS
Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch (both R-Idaho) have reintroduced the Judicial Reorganization Act that would split the current Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and create a new Twelfth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
“The nation’s largest and busiest circuit court of appeals has been overburdened for years–covering more than 11,000 cases annually from nine Western states and two U.S. territories,” Crapo said. “The Ninth Circuit’s significant backlog and inefficiency impedes the administration of justice throughout the region. The time is now to divide the court to reflect the West’s massive population growth and provide greater access to justice for all.”
“The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has long reflected the values of California, which dominates its justices and judicial cases,” said Risch. “The Judicial Reorganization Act would split and modernize the Ninth Circuit, allowing for more manageable caseloads and justice that aligns with the values of Idaho.”
Currently, western states are subjected to an overly encumbered, inconsistent and slow judiciary. This stems from having the largest circuit court in the nation in terms of geography, population and workload. The Ninth Circuit has jurisdiction over 40 percent of the landmass of the United States and one-in-five Americans. One fifth of all pending federal appeals and 56 percent of all immigration cases in the nation are filed within the Ninth Circuit. With 29 appellate judges, the court also has more than double the average number of authorized judgeships among the 13 circuits.
Additionally, the population and geographic expanse the Ninth Circuit covers have experienced explosive growth since the court’s creation in 1891. Creating a new circuit would solve the inefficiencies associated with the size of the Ninth Circuit and expand many Americans’ access to justice.
The Judicial Reorganization Act would divide the current Ninth Circuit into two new circuits:
- A new Ninth Circuit covering California, Guam and Hawai’i;
- A Twelfth Circuit with jurisdiction over Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.
The legislation would also increase the total number of judges in the two circuits to 31–adding one appellate judge to each court, as requested by the United States Judicial Conference. Eighteen appellate judges would serve in the Ninth Circuit and 13 appellate judges in the Twelfth Circuit.
The legislation would authorize the appropriation of funds needed to provide additional court facilities and implement the change.
The full text of the bill is available here.
