Idaho Sen. Crapo introduces bill to split 9th Circuit Court of Appeals

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Idaho U.S. Senator Mike Crapo has introduced legislation to split the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The Gem State Republican, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, says the move would allow for more efficient caseload processing.

The 9th Circuit, the largest in the nation with over nine states and two territorial courts, covers 40 percent of the nation’s land mass and 20 percent of its population. It decides an extensive number of appeals annually, and accounts for nearly a third of all pending federal appeals. Crapo says it takes an average of 13 months to decide a case, which is almost five months more than the national average.

The Judicial Reorganization Act would split the Ninth Circuit in two, establishing a new Twelfth Circuit Court of Appeals, which would cover Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Montana, Alaska, Arizona, and Nevada, while California, Guam, and Hawaii would remain in the 9th Circuit.

The measure would also authorize an additional five circuit court judge seats, allocating 21 to the new Ninth and 13 to the Twelfth to align with population size.

Other Western Republican Senators joining Crapo as co-sponsors of the bill are Idaho’s Jim Risch, Arizona’s Martha McSally, Montana’s Steve Daines, and Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan.

The measure heads to the Senate judiciary Committee for consideration.

Idaho U.S. Representative Mike Simpson has introduced similar legislation in the House. (Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo)

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