S-1878 : Still Just a Bill

The Judicial Efficiency Improvement Act (S. 1878) proposes significant changes to the structure and composition of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and several district courts. Here's a summary of the key provisions:

• Division of the Ninth Circuit: The bill splits the Ninth Circuit into two circuits:
  • New Ninth Circuit: Composed of California, Guam, Hawaii, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
  • Twelfth Circuit: Composed of Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. The headquarters for this new circuit will be in Seattle, Washington.
• Judgeships:
  • Authorizes two additional circuit judges for the New Ninth Circuit.
  • Specifies the number of circuit judges for the New Ninth Circuit as 18 and for the Twelfth Circuit as 13.
  • Creates numerous new district judgeships across multiple states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, and Texas.
  • Makes permanent several temporary judgeships in Arizona, California, Florida, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Texas.
• Judge Assignments: Specifies how existing judges of the former Ninth Circuit will be assigned to the new circuits based on their official duty stations. Senior judges can elect which circuit they want to be assigned to.
• Case Handling: Details how pending cases in the former Ninth Circuit will be handled, with submitted cases continuing under the old circuit and unsubmitted cases being transferred to the appropriate new court.
• Temporary Judge Assignments: Allows for temporary assignment of circuit and district judges between the Ninth and Twelfth Circuits to address workload imbalances.
• Effective Date: Most provisions of the Act take effect one year after enactment, except for the section regarding the appointment of the two new Ninth Circuit judges, which takes effect immediately upon enactment.

In summary, the bill aims to improve judicial efficiency by dividing the Ninth Circuit and increasing the number of judges in various district courts.