Judicial Administration and Improvement Act of 2025

The Judicial Administration and Improvement Act of 2025 proposes to divide the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit into two separate judicial circuits. The current Ninth Circuit, which covers a large geographic area, would be reorganized so that California, Guam, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, and Northern Mariana Islands would remain in the Ninth Circuit. A new Twelfth Circuit would be created to cover Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, and Nevada.

If enacted, this change would affect how federal appeals are handled in these western states and territories. Currently, all these cases go through a single appellate court, but splitting the circuit could potentially reduce caseloads for judges and potentially speed up case processing. Citizens in the affected states might see changes in which judges hear their federal appeals and how long cases take to be decided. The bill is currently in committee and has not yet been voted on by the full House.