Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Judgeship and Reorganization Act of 2003
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Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Judgeship and Reorganization Act of 2003 - Divides the current U.S. Court of Appeals for the ninth circuit into: (1) the ninth circuit, composed of Arizona, California, and Nevada, consisting of 24 judges, and holding regular sessions in San Francisco, Pasadena, and Phoenix; and (2) the twelfth circuit, composed of Alaska, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, and Washington, consisting of nine judges, and holding regular sessions in Portland and Seattle.
Directs the President to appoint, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate: (1) two additional circuit judges for the former ninth circuit court of appeals, whose official duty stations shall be in Arizona, California, or Nevada, and three additional circuit judges for the new ninth circuit court of appeals (who shall not be appointed before January 21, 2005); and (2) two temporary additional circuit judges for the former ninth circuit court of appeals).
Directs that each circuit judge of the former ninth circuit who is in regular active service and whose official duty station on the day before this Act's effective date is in Arizona, California, or Nevada be a circuit judge of the new ninth circuit as of such effective date. Requires that each such judge whose duty station on such date is in Alaska, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, or Washington be a circuit judge of the twelfth circuit. Allows each judge who is a senior circuit judge of the former ninth circuit on the day before this Act's effective date to elect to be assigned to the new ninth or twelfth circuit. (Requires each such judge to notify the Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts of such election.) Provides that the seniority of each judge assigned, or elected to be assigned, shall run from the date of commission as a judge of the former ninth circuit.
Authorizes certain temporary assignment in the public interest of circuit judges and district judges between circuits.
Subcommittee Hearings Held.
- Introduced in House Formatted Text PDF
Cite this page
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 2723: Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Judgeship and Reorganization Act of 2003. 108th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/108-HR-2723/
"H.R. 2723: Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Judgeship and Reorganization Act of 2003." 108th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/108-HR-2723/.
H.R. 2723, 108th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/108-HR-2723/.
[H.R. 2723: Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Judgeship and Reorganization Act of 2003](https://openamerica.io/bill/108-HR-2723/)