Judicial Efficiency Improvement Act
Bill: S.2968 | Sponsor: Sen. Sullivan, Dan (R-AK)
Policy area: Law

Summary:
Judicial Efficiency Improvement Act
This bill divides the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit into two judicial circuits: (1) the Ninth Circuit, and (2) a new Twelfth Circuit.
The new Ninth Circuit shall be composed of California, Guam, Hawaii, and the Northern Mariana Islands. The new Twelfth Circuit shall be composed of the following states: Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington.
The bill creates two additional circuit court judgeships for the Ninth Circuit.
It creates 77 additional district court judgeships in specified judicial districts in Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, and Texas.
Additionally, it converts eight temporary district court judgeships to permanent judgeships in specified judicial districts in Kansas, Missouri, Arizona, California, Florida, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Texas.

To increase the number of judgeships for the United States Court of 
Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and certain district courts of the United 
                    States, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Judicial Efficiency Improvement 
Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Former ninth circuit.--The term ``former ninth 
        circuit'' means the ninth judicial circuit of the United States 
        as in existence on the day before the effective date of this 
        Act.
            (2) New ninth circuit.--The term ``new ninth circuit'' 
        means the ninth judicial circuit of the United States 
        established by the amendment made by section 3(2)(A).
            (3) Twelfth circuit.--The term ``twelfth circuit'' means 
        the twelfth judicial circuit of the United States established 
        by the amendment made by section 3(2)(B).

SEC. 3. NUMBER AND COMPOSITION OF CIRCUITS.

    Section 41 of title 28, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) in the matter preceding the table, by striking 
        ``thirteen'' and inserting ``fourteen''; and
            (2) in the table--
                    (A) by striking the item relating to the ninth 
                circuit and inserting the following:

    ``Ninth........................
                                        California, Guam, Hawaii, 
                                                Northern Mariana 
                                                Islands.'';

            and
                    (B) by inserting after the item relating to the 
                eleventh circuit the following:

    ``Twelfth......................
                                        Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, 
                                                Montana, Nevada, 
                                                Oregon, Washington.''.

SEC. 4. CIRCUIT COURT JUDGESHIPS.

    (a) New Judgeships.--The President shall appoint, by and with the 
advice and consent of the Senate, 2 additional circuit judges for the 
new ninth circuit, whose official duty station shall be in California.
    (b) Temporary Judgeships.--
            (1) Appointment of judges.--The President shall appoint, by 
        and with the advice and consent of the Senate, 2 additional 
        circuit judges for the former ninth circuit, whose official 
        duty station shall be in California.
            (2) Effect of vacancies.--The first 2 vacancies in the 
        position of circuit judge for the new ninth circuit occurring 
        10 years or more after judges are first confirmed to fill both 
        temporary circuit judgeships created by this subsection shall 
        not be filled.
    (c) Effective Date.--This section shall take effect on the date of 
enactment of this Act.

SEC. 5. NUMBER OF CIRCUIT JUDGES.

    The table in section 44(a) of title 28, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) by striking the item relating to the ninth circuit and 
        inserting the following:

``Ninth ....................................................      18'';
    and
            (2) by inserting after the item relating to the eleventh 
        circuit the following:

``Twelfth ..................................................      13''.

SEC. 6. PLACES OF CIRCUIT COURT.

    The table in section 48(a) of title 28, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) by striking the item relating to the ninth circuit and 
        inserting the following:

    ``Ninth........................
                                        Honolulu, Pasadena, San 
                                                Francisco.'';

    and
            (2) by inserting after the item relating to the eleventh 
        circuit the following:

    ``Twelfth......................
                                        Las Vegas, Phoenix, Portland, 
                                                Seattle.''.

SEC. 7. LOCATION OF TWELFTH CIRCUIT HEADQUARTERS.

    The offices of the Circuit Executive of the Twelfth Circuit and the 
Clerk of the Court of the Twelfth Circuit shall be located in Seattle, 
Washington.

SEC. 8. ASSIGNMENT OF CIRCUIT JUDGES.

    Each circuit judge of the former ninth circuit who is in regular 
active service and whose official duty station on the day before the 
effective date of this Act--
            (1) is in California, Guam, Hawaii, or the Northern Mariana 
        Islands shall be a circuit judge of the new ninth circuit as of 
        that effective date; and
            (2) is in Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, 
        or Washington shall be a circuit judge of the twelfth circuit 
        as of that effective date.

SEC. 9. ELECTION OF ASSIGNMENT BY SENIOR JUDGES.

    Each judge who is a senior circuit judge of the former ninth 
circuit on the day before the effective date of this Act--
            (1) may elect to be assigned to the new ninth circuit or 
        the twelfth circuit as of that effective date; and
            (2) shall notify the Director of the Administrative Office 
        of the United States Courts of the election made under 
        paragraph (1).

SEC. 10. SENIORITY OF JUDGES.

    The seniority of each judge who is assigned under section 8 or 
elects to be assigned under section 9 shall run from the date of 
commission of the judge as a judge of the former ninth circuit.

SEC. 11. APPLICATION TO CASES.

    The following apply to any case in which, on the day before the 
effective date of this Act, an appeal or other proceeding has been 
filed with the former ninth circuit:
            (1) Except as provided in paragraph (3), if the matter has 
        been submitted for decision, further proceedings with respect 
        to the matter shall be had in the same manner and with the same 
        effect as if this Act had not been enacted.
            (2) If the matter has not been submitted for decision, the 
        appeal or proceeding, together with the original papers, 
        printed records, and record entries duly certified, shall, by 
        appropriate orders, be transferred to the court to which the 
        matter would have been submitted had this Act been in full 
        force and effect on the date on which the appeal was taken or 
        other proceeding commenced, and further proceedings with 
        respect to the case shall be had in the same manner and with 
        the same effect as if the appeal or other proceeding had been 
        filed in that court.
            (3) If a petition for rehearing en banc is pending on or 
        after the effective date of this Act, the petition shall be 
        considered by the court of appeals to which the petition would 
        have been submitted had this Act been in full force and effect 
        on the date on which the appeal or other proceeding was filed 
        with the court of appeals.

SEC. 12. TEMPORARY ASSIGNMENT OF CIRCUIT JUDGES AMONG CIRCUITS.

    Section 291 of title 28, United States Code, is amended by adding 
at the end the following:
    ``(c) The chief judge of the Ninth Circuit may, in the public 
interest and upon request by the chief judge of the Twelfth Circuit, 
designate and assign temporarily any circuit judge of the Ninth Circuit 
to act as circuit judge in the Twelfth Circuit.
    ``(d) The chief judge of the Twelfth Circuit may, in the public 
interest and upon request by the chief judge of the Ninth Circuit, 
designate and assign temporarily any circuit judge of the Twelfth 
Circuit to act as circuit judge in the Ninth Circuit.''.

SEC. 13. TEMPORARY ASSIGNMENT OF DISTRICT JUDGES AMONG CIRCUITS.

    Section 292 of title 28, United States Code, is amended by adding 
at the end the following:
    ``(f) The chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the 
Ninth Circuit may in the public interest--
            ``(1) upon request by the chief judge of the Twelfth 
        Circuit, designate and assign one or more district judges 
        within the Ninth Circuit to sit upon the Court of Appeals of 
        the Twelfth Circuit, or a division thereof, whenever the 
        business of that court so requires; and
            ``(2) designate and assign temporarily any district judge 
        within the Ninth Circuit to hold a district court in any 
        district within the Twelfth Circuit.
    ``(g) The chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the 
Twelfth Circuit may in the public interest--
            ``(1) upon request by the chief judge of the Ninth Circuit, 
        designate and assign one or more district judges within the 
        Twelfth Circuit to sit upon the Court of Appeals of the Ninth 
        Circuit, or a division thereof, whenever the business of that 
        court so requires; and
            ``(2) designate and assign temporarily any district judge 
        within the Twelfth Circuit to hold a district court in any 
        district within the Ninth Circuit.
    ``(h) Any designation or assignment under subsection (f) or (g) 
shall be in conformity with the rules or orders of the court of appeals 
of, or the district within, as applicable, the circuit to which the 
judge is designated or assigned.''.

SEC. 14. DISTRICT JUDGES FOR THE DISTRICT COURTS.

    (a) Additional Judgeships.--The President shall appoint, by and 
with the advice and consent of the Senate--
            (1) 4 additional district judges for the district of 
        Arizona;
            (2) 15 additional district judges for the central district 
        of California;
            (3) 4 additional district judges for the eastern district 
        of California;
            (4) 5 additional district judges for the northern district 
        of California;
            (5) 6 additional district judges for the southern district 
        of California;
            (6) 2 additional district judges for the district of 
        Colorado;
            (7) 2 additional district judges for the district of 
        Delaware;
            (8) 7 additional district judges for the middle district of 
        Florida;
            (9) 1 additional district judge for the northern district 
        of Florida;
            (10) 3 additional district judges for the southern district 
        of Florida;
            (11) 2 additional district judges for the northern district 
        of Georgia;
            (12) 1 additional district judge for the district of Idaho;
            (13) 2 additional district judges for the southern district 
        of Indiana;
            (14) 1 additional district judge for the district of Iowa;
            (15) 5 additional district judges for the district of New 
        Jersey;
            (16) 1 additional district judge for the district of New 
        Mexico;
            (17) 2 additional district judges for the eastern district 
        of New York;
            (18) 1 additional district judge for the southern district 
        of New York;
            (19) 1 additional district judge for the western district 
        of New York;
            (20) 2 additional district judges for the eastern district 
        of Texas;
            (21) 4 additional district judges for the southern district 
        of Texas; and
            (22) 6 additional district judges for the western district 
        of Texas.
    (b) Conversion of Temporary Judgeships.--The existing judgeships 
for the district of Kansas and the eastern district of Missouri 
authorized by section 203(c) of the Judicial Improvements Act of 1990 
(Public Law 101-650; 28 U.S.C. 133 note) and the existing judgeships 
for the district of Arizona, the central district of California, the 
southern district of Florida, the eastern district of Missouri, the 
district of New Mexico, the western district of North Carolina, and the 
eastern district of Texas authorized by section 312(c) of the 21st 
Century Department of Justice Appropriations Authorization Act (Public 
Law 107-273, 28 U.S.C. 133 note), as of the date of enactment of this 
Act, shall be authorized under section 133 of title 28, United States 
Code, and the incumbents in those offices shall hold the office under 
section 133 of title 28, United States Code, as amended by this Act.
    (c) Technical and Conforming Amendments.--The table contained in 
section 133(a) of title 28, United States Code, is amended--
            (1) by striking the item relating to the district of 
        Arizona and inserting the following:


  ``Arizona............................  17'';
 

            (2) by striking the items relating to California and 
        inserting the following:


  ``California:
  Northern.............................  19
  Eastern..............................  10
  Central..............................  43
  Southern.............................  19'';
 

            (3) by striking the item relating to the district of 
        Colorado and inserting the following:


  ``Colorado...........................  9'';
 

            (4) by striking the item relating to the district of 
        Delaware and inserting the following:


  ``Delaware...........................  6'';
 

            (5) by striking the items relating to Florida and inserting 
        the following:


  ``Florida:
  Northern.............................  5
  Middle...............................  22
  Southern.............................  21'';
 

            (6) by striking the items relating to Georgia and inserting 
        the following:


  ``Georgia:
  Northern.............................  13
  Middle...............................  4
  Southern.............................  3'';
 

            (7) by striking the item relating to Idaho and inserting 
        the following:


  ``Idaho..............................  3'';
 

            (8) by striking the items relating to Indiana and inserting 
        the following:


  ``Indiana:
  Northern.............................  5
  Southern.............................  7'';
 

            (9) by striking the item relating to New Jersey and 
        inserting the following:


  ``New Jersey.........................  22'';
 

            (10) by striking the item relating to New Mexico and 
        inserting the following:


  ``New Mexico.........................  9'';
 

            (11) by striking the items relating to New York and 
        inserting the following:


  ``New York:
  Northern.............................  5
  Southern.............................  29
  Eastern..............................  17
  Western..............................  5'';
 

            (12) by striking the items relating to North Carolina and 
        inserting the following:


  ``North Carolina:
  Eastern..............................  4
  Middle...............................  4
  Western..............................  5'';
 

        and
            (13) by striking the items relating to Texas and inserting 
        the following:


  ``Texas:
  Northern.............................  12
  Southern.............................  23
  Eastern..............................  10
  Western..............................  19''.
 

SEC. 15. ADMINISTRATION.

    (a) Transition Authority.--The court of appeals for the ninth 
circuit as constituted on the day before the effective date of this Act 
may take any administrative action that is required to carry out this 
Act and the amendments made by this Act.
    (b) Administrative Termination.--The court described in subsection 
(a) shall cease to exist for administrative purposes 2 years after the 
date of enactment of this Act.

SEC. 16. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
necessary to carry out this Act, including funds for additional court 
facilities.

SEC. 17. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    Except as provided in section 4(c), this Act and the amendments 
made by this Act shall take effect 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act.
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