Sponsors (2)
Introduced July 21, 2025 by Michael Dean Crapo · Last progress July 21, 2025
The bill reorganizes and expands parts of the federal appellate system to reduce backlogs and improve regional access, but it creates transitional confusion, additional administrative burdens, and increased federal spending that will affect taxpayers, court staff, and litigants in the short and long term.
Litigants and businesses in the affected Western states and territories will face lower appellate caseloads and faster appeals because the bill creates a new circuit and adds/authorizes additional judges, reducing backlogs.
Residents—especially in rural and island communities—will have better geographic access to appellate courts as cases are more likely to be heard closer to litigants when duty stations and circuit boundaries are adjusted.
Court venues, statutory circuit maps, and assignment rules are clarified, reducing venue errors and uncertainty about which court will hear appeals before and after the law takes effect.
Taxpayers will face higher federal costs over time from additional judgeships, payroll/pension obligations, and potentially open‑ended facility construction funding.
Many litigants and attorneys will experience short‑term confusion, delays, and possible disruption as pending appeals, records, and venue determinations are transferred or reassigned during the transition.
Courts, clerks, and the Administrative Office will face substantial administrative burdens and costs from transferring records, opening new dockets, processing judge assignments, and updating statutory listings.
Based on analysis of 13 sections of legislative text.
Divides the existing Ninth Circuit into two successor circuits (a new Ninth Circuit and a newly created Twelfth Circuit), reassigns judges by duty station or by choice for senior judges, adds two new circuit judgeships, updates Title 28 statutory tables to reflect a fourteenth circuit, and authorizes funding needed to implement the reorganization. Most changes take effect one year after enactment, while the two new judgeships become effective on enactment, and transitional rules govern pending appeals and rehearing petitions around the effective date. The bill also gives the pre-reorganization Ninth Circuit limited administrative authority for up to two years to carry out implementation tasks, preserves judges’ seniority, and requires transfers of appeals and records so proceedings continue in the appropriate successor circuit courts under the new structure.