Over the years, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, which is based in San Francisco and has jurisdiction over most of the Western United States, has become notorious for being as liberal as the city in which it is based.
Now the circuit may be cut in half. Under legislation introduced by Republican Senators John Ensign (Nev.) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and endorsed by the Department of Justice, the 9th Circuit would retain jurisdiction over California, Hawaii, Guam, and the Northern Marianas.
A new 12th Circuit, however, would handle cases arising in the seven other states now in the 9th. Ensign spokesman Jack Finn told Human Events that the senator “feels strongly that the present 9th Circuit is unwieldly and guilty of mismanagement.”
