This legislation reorganizes the Ninth Judicial Circuit by splitting it into two separate circuits—the Ninth and the Twelfth—while increasing the total number of federal appellate judgeships.
Michael "Mike" Simpson
Representative
ID-2
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Judgeship and Reorganization Act of 2025 proposes splitting the current Ninth Circuit into two separate judicial circuits: a new Ninth Circuit and a newly created Twelfth Circuit. The bill outlines the reassignment of existing judges, authorizes the appointment of additional permanent and temporary judges, and establishes procedures for handling pending cases and administrative coordination between the two circuits.
Ninth Circuit Split: Federal Court System Adds 14th Circuit and 7 New Judges to Tackle West Coast Caseload
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals—the massive legal engine covering everything from Alaska to Arizona—is getting a major renovation. This bill officially breaks the current Ninth Circuit into two separate entities: a slimmed-down 'New Ninth' and a brand-new 'Twelfth Circuit.' To handle the transition and the heavy workload, the legislation adds seven new judgeships to the mix, including five permanent spots and two temporary ones. This isn't just a map change; it’s a fundamental restructuring of how federal law is interpreted and applied across the Western United States.
Redrawing the Judicial Map
Under the new plan, the 'New Ninth' will focus on California, Guam, Hawaii, and the Northern Mariana Islands. Meanwhile, the new Twelfth Circuit will take over a huge geographical footprint including Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. For a small business owner in Seattle or a developer in Phoenix, this means your federal appeals will soon be heard by a different court than those in San Francisco. Section 7 of the bill ensures that judges currently on the bench are assigned to these new circuits based on where they live now, while Section 9 makes sure they keep their hard-earned seniority. This is designed to keep the wheels of justice turning without a total reset of the system’s institutional memory.
The Bench Gets Deeper
To make this split work, the bill authorizes the President to appoint several new judges. Specifically, Section 4 creates two new permanent spots for the 'former' Ninth (to be filled by residents of AZ, CA, or NV) and three more for the 'New Ninth' after January 21, 2025. There are also two temporary judgeships added to the roster. For regular folks, more judges usually means shorter wait times for a court decision. If you’re involved in a long-running federal lawsuit, Section 10 provides a roadmap: if your case is already argued and submitted, it stays with the old court; if not, it gets packed up and shipped to the new circuit that now covers your home state.
Sharing the Load
One of the more practical features of this bill is its 'loaner' system for judges. Sections 11 and 12 allow the Chief Judges of the Ninth and Twelfth Circuits to temporarily swap appellate and district judges if one side gets overwhelmed by a spike in cases. It’s a bit like a neighboring business lending a hand during a busy season. Additionally, Section 13 allows these two circuits to share administrative work, which could save taxpayer money by not duplicating HR or IT departments. While the bill sets aside 'whatever sums are necessary' for new courtrooms and offices in Section 16, the real test will be whether this split actually clears the backlog or just creates two smaller piles of paperwork.