Skip to content
Govbase
Govbase
Congress·In Committee·S. 2360

Sen. Crapo Proposes Splitting the Ninth Circuit Court to Create a New Twelfth Circuit

Judicial Reorganization Act of 2025

8 months ago·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

Legislative Progress

Senate
House
President
Law

Key Points

  • This bill would split the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals — currently the largest federal appeals court — into two separate circuits. California, Hawaii, and Guam would stay in the Ninth Circuit, while Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington would form a brand-new Twelfth Circuit.
  • Two new federal circuit court judges would be created — one assigned to the California/Hawaii region and one to the new Twelfth Circuit states — to help manage the caseload after the split.

    From policy text

    “The President shall appoint, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate-- (A) 1 additional circuit court judge for the former Ninth Circuit, whose official duty station shall be in California, Guam, or Hawaii; and (B) 1 additional circuit court judge for the former Ninth Circuit, whose official duty station shall be in Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, or Washington.”
    View in full text
  • The new Ninth Circuit would have 18 judges, while the new Twelfth Circuit would have 13 judges. The Twelfth Circuit would hold court in Phoenix, Seattle, and Portland.
  • The split would take effect one year after the bill is signed into law, giving courts time to prepare. Cases already submitted for decision would continue as if the split hadn't happened, while pending cases would be transferred to the appropriate new court.

    From policy text

    “Except as provided in section 4(b), this Act and the amendments made by this Act shall take effect on the date that is 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act.”
    View in full text
  • Existing active judges would be assigned to whichever new circuit covers their current duty station, while senior judges could choose which circuit to join. All judges would keep their seniority from their original appointment date.

    From policy text

    “Each circuit judge of the former Ninth circuit who is in regular active service and whose official duty station on the day before the effective date of this Act-- (1) is in California, Guam, or Hawaii shall be a circuit judge of the new Ninth Circuit as of such effective date; and (2) is in Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, or Washington shall be a circuit judge of the Twelfth Circuit as of such effective date.”
    View in full text
Criminal Justice

Impact Analysis

State Impacts

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
Jul 21, 2025Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Jul 21, 2025

Introduced in Senate

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

Upon enactment

Two new federal circuit judge positions are created and can be filled immediately upon enactment

The president can nominate two new appeals court judges right away, one for each new circuit, expanding the federal bench.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Judicial Reorganization Act of 2025

Bill NumberS 2360
Congress119th Congress
ChamberSenate
Latest ActionRead twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Read Full Bill Text

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(1)
R: 1

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.