# Plain Language Summary: Judicial Administration and Improvement Act of 2023

This bill splits the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals into two separate courts. Right now, the Ninth Circuit covers a huge area including California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. The bill would create a new Twelfth Circuit that would handle cases from Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, and Nevada, while the Ninth Circuit would keep California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands.

The practical effect is that people and businesses in the five states moving to the new Twelfth Circuit would have their appeals heard by a different court going forward. Instead of sending cases to San Francisco (where the Ninth Circuit is based), cases from those states would go to courts in Las Vegas, Phoenix, Anchorage, and Missoula. The bill creates eight new judgeships for the Twelfth Circuit and reduces the Ninth Circuit from 29 judges to 21 judges. Current judges working in the affected states can choose which circuit they want to stay with, though most would automatically move to the Twelfth Circuit based on where they work.

The change wouldn't affect cases already in progress before the law takes effect. Cases already filed with the Ninth Circuit would continue there, and any cases not yet decided would transfer to whichever new court they belong in. The bill would take effect one year after being signed into law, giving the court system time to prepare for the transition. This is essentially a reorganization of how federal appeals courts are structured in the western United States, aimed at making the court system more manageable by dividing up a circuit that covers too large a geographic area.

Judicial Administration and Improvement Act of 2023

Biggs, Andy

Judicial Administration and Improvement Act of 2023 This bill divides the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit into two judicial circuits: (1) the Ninth Circuit, and (2) a new Twelfth Circuit. The Ninth Circuit is composed of California, Guam, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, and Northern Mariana Islands. The new Twelfth Circuit is composed of Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, and Nevada.