Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Judgeship and Reorganization Act of 2025

H.R. 634 proposes to divide the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, which currently covers a large geographic area in the western United States and Pacific territories, into two separate judicial circuits. The existing Ninth Circuit would be reorganized to include only California, Guam, Hawaii, and the Northern Mariana Islands. A new Twelfth Circuit would be created to cover Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington.

If enacted, this reorganization could affect how federal appeals are handled in these regions. Currently, cases from all these areas go through a single appellate court, which handles a substantial caseload. Splitting the circuit could potentially reduce the workload for each court and may change which judges hear cases from specific states. The bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process, having been introduced in the House in January 2025, and has been referred to committee for consideration.