The hearing will examine the structure and the caseload of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to determine if the federal judiciary and the American people would be better served by splitting the Ninth Circuit. The Ninth Circuit is the largest of the thirteen courts of appeals, covering nine states and two territories. There are currently 29 judges on the Ninth Circuit and the Administrative Office of the Courts has recommended adding five more judges in response to the workload.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet Subcommittee Chairman Darrel Issa (R-Calif.) issued the following statement in advance of this hearing:
“This week the IP Subcommittee welcomes several distinguished legal professionals, including three justices from the Ninth Circuit, to examine the challenges faced by the current Ninth Circuit and how best to address these issues to ensure our federal judiciary is functioning in the fairest and most efficient manner for the citizens it serves.”
Witnesses
Name | Occupation | Organization | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Honorable Sidney Thomas | Chief Circuit Judge | United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit | ||
Honorable Carlos Bea | Circuit Judge | United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit | ||
Honorable Alex Kozinski | Circuit Judge | United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit | ||
Professor John Eastman | Dale E. Fowler School of Law | Chapman University | ||
Professor Brian Fitzpatrick | Professor | Vanderbilt University Law School |