This bill reorganizes the federal court system in the western United States by splitting the current Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals into two separate circuits. Currently, the Ninth Circuit covers a huge geographic area including California, Hawaii, Guam, and several western states. The bill creates a new, smaller Ninth Circuit that would only include California, Guam, Hawaii, and the Northern Mariana Islands, and establishes a brand new Twelfth Circuit to handle Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington, with its headquarters in Seattle.

The bill adds two new judges to the Ninth Circuit and creates 13 judgeships for the new Twelfth Circuit. It also adds 11 new federal district court judges across various districts, including multiple judges for California courts, plus judges for courts in Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, New Jersey, New York, and Texas. Existing judges from the current Ninth Circuit would automatically be assigned to either the new Ninth or Twelfth Circuit based on where they currently work, though senior judges can choose which circuit they prefer.

The practical effect is that cases in the western states would be handled by two separate appeals courts instead of one massive court, potentially speeding up case processing. The bill also allows judges from one circuit to temporarily help the other circuit if needed. All the new judges would need to be appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.