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119-s-2360119th Congress

Judicial Reorganization Act of 2025

Sponsored By: Senator Crapo, Mike [R-ID]

Introduced

Summary

Split the Ninth Circuit and create a new Twelfth Circuit. This bill would redraw the federal appeals map, reassign judges by duty station, add judgeships, and set new court locations.

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  • Redraws geography and court sites. The new Ninth would cover California, Guam, and Hawaii. The Twelfth would cover Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington, with Ninth sites in Honolulu, San Francisco, and Pasadena and Twelfth sites in Phoenix, Seattle, and Portland.
  • Changes judgeships and appointments. It would add two new circuit judgeships to the former Ninth Circuit, with appointments by the President and Senate confirmation, and set the new Ninth at 18 judges and the Twelfth at 13 judges.
  • Reassigns sitting and senior judges and orders case transfers. Judges of the former Ninth would be assigned based on their official duty stations. Senior judges could elect which circuit to join and keep their seniority date. Cases already submitted would proceed under the old court while unsubmitted matters would move to the court that would have heard them under the new map. The bill allows a two year administrative transition and most changes would take effect one year after enactment.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

5 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 1 costs, 3 mixed.

Rules for pending Ninth cases

If enacted, appeals and proceedings already filed in the former Ninth Circuit would be handled to avoid disruption. Matters already submitted for decision would continue unchanged. Matters not yet submitted would transfer, with original papers, to the proper successor court and proceed there. Petitions for rehearing or rehearing en banc would be treated as if the law had not been enacted. These rules would apply one year after enactment.

Funding authorization for split

If enacted, the bill would authorize Congress to appropriate whatever sums are necessary to carry out the court split. That explicitly includes funds for new or updated court facilities. The authorization takes effect one year after enactment. Actual spending would depend on later appropriations.

New judges and judge reassignments

If enacted, the President would appoint two additional circuit judges for the former Ninth Circuit, one based in California/Guam/Hawaii and one in Alaska/Arizona/Idaho/Montana/Nevada/Oregon/Washington. Those two appointments would take effect on enactment. One year after enactment, active Ninth Circuit judges would be assigned to the new Ninth or the new Twelfth based on their duty stations. Senior judges could choose which successor court they join and would keep their original seniority dates.

Split the Ninth and add Twelfth

If enacted, the bill would split the current Ninth Circuit and create a new Twelfth Circuit. The new Ninth would cover California, Guam, and Hawaii. The Twelfth would cover Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. It would name three Ninth sites (Honolulu, San Francisco, Pasadena) and three Twelfth sites (Phoenix, Seattle, Portland). The bill would set 18 judges for the Ninth and 13 for the Twelfth. These changes would take effect one year after enactment.

Temporary Ninth Circuit authority

If enacted, the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit as staffed the day before the effective date could take administrative actions needed to carry out the split. That administrative authority would begin on the Act's effective date (one year after enactment). The Ninth Circuit would stop existing for administrative purposes two years after that effective date.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Crapo, Mike [R-ID]

ID • R

Cosponsors

  • Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID]

    ID • R

    Sponsored 7/21/2025

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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