Digital Commons Network^™

Efforts To Split The Ninth Circuit Unsuccessful In The 109th Congress, Carl W. Tobias

Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Viewpoint: Legislating Without Deliberation, Carl W. Tobias

Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Dear Chief Judge Schroeder, Carl W. Tobias

Law Faculty Publications

Dear Judge Schroeder: Congratulations on becoming the Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Judge Procter Hug, Jr., transferred that office to you on December 1, 2000, during a quiet period in the tribunal's life, affording several months of relative calm m which to assume the daunting responsibility for Ninth Circuit operations. Your twenty-one-year service as an active court member will promote the felicitous discharge of your new duties as chief judge and will ease resolution of the difficulties that the tribunal will invariably encounter.

You have entered the pantheon of leaders whose century …

Divisional Arrangement For The Federal Appeals Courts, Carl W. Tobias

Law Faculty Publications

The 106th Congress seriously considered proposed legislation that could profoundly affect the federal appellate courts, and the 107th Congress may well do so. The Commission on Structural Alternatives for the Federal Courts of Appeals, which performed a rather comprehensive, albeit incomplete, study of the tribunals, recommended this bill as the centerpiece of its report for Congress. The commissioners prescribed regionally-based adjudicative divisions for the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and for the remaining appellate courts when the courts increase in size, even as the commission decisively rejected the possibility of splitting the Ninth Circuit into multiple …

The Federal Appeals Courts At Century's End, Carl W. Tobias

Law Faculty Publications

The Commission on Structural Alternatives for the Federal Courts of Appeals submitted its report and suggestions to the United States Congress and the President in December 1998. The Commission spent ten months studying the "structure and alignment of the Federal Court of Appeals system, with particular reference to the Ninth Circuit," and two months developing "recommendations for such changes in circuit boundaries or structure as may be appropriate for the expeditious and effective disposition of the caseload of the Federal Courts of Appeals, consistent with fundamental concepts of fairness and due process." The centerpiece of the Commission's proposal is the …

Filling The Federal Appellate Openings On The 9th Circuit, Carl W. Tobias

Law Faculty Publications

Throughout much of the 1990s, the United States Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit has operated with fewer than the court's complete complement of 28 active judges. Since 1995, when Republican senators representing states of the Pacific Northwest instituted a serious campaign to divide the 9th Circuit, the court has essentially functioned absent one-fourth of its membership. The large number of openings and their protracted nature, as well as a steadily expanding docket, have demanded that the 9th Circuit depend on many appellate and district court judges who are not active members of the 9th Circuit when staffing three-judge …

Natural Resources And The White Commission Report, Carl W. Tobias

Law Faculty Publications

Individuals and entities with concerns regarding environmental issues as well as those concerned about the federal judicial system have carefully followed the debate over the possible division of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit that has been raging since 1995. During the first session of the 105th Congress, the Senate approved an appropriations rider, which would have established a new Twelfth Circuit including Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands, and would have left California and Nevada in the Ninth Circuit. That action was very important because neither house of …

A Split By Any Other Name ..., Carl W. Tobias, Proctor Hug Jr.

Law Faculty Publications

We applaud the contribution that the Commission on Structural Alternatives for the Federal Courts of Appeals (White Commission) has made to the public debate regarding how the federal courts of appeals can cope with the demands of ever increasing caseloads and no new judicial resources. The White Commission has conscientiously discharged its challenging assignment in the very brief period which Congress allotted. We believe, however, that a careful review of the Commission's research reveals no significant evidence of dysfunction in any court of appeals, and certainly none sufficiently severe to warrant its ultimate recommendation to restructure the Ninth Circuit Court …

Panel Rejects Ninth Circuit Split, Carl W. Tobias

Law Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Natural Resources And The Ninth Circuit Split, Carl W. Tobias

Law Faculty Publications

Congress recently considered some proposals to split the Ninth Circuit, proposals that could have far-reaching effects on the environment, public lands, and natural resources. This Article first looks at some of the recent developments in Congress, particularly the authorization of a national study commission to examine the federal appeals courts. Professor Tobias predicts that the Ninth Circuit will be split during the next decade. He cautions against using political considerations to conduct legislative policymaking with respect to thefederal courts. He suggests that those concerned about the environment gather reliable information and explore alternatives to circuit-splitting. If Congress decides to bifurcate …

The Judicial Vacancy Conundrum In The Ninth Circuit, Carl W. Tobias

Law Faculty Publications

The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit must resolve the largest and most complicated caseload of the twelve regional appellate courts. Congress has authorized twenty-eight active judges for the circuit, while the Judicial Conference of the United States has recommended that Congress approve nine additional judgeships for the court. The Ninth Circuit currently has seven vacancies, four of which are considered "judicial emergencies" because the openings have remained unfilled for eighteen months, even as the size and complexity of the court's civil and criminal dockets continue to increase. President Bill Clinton submitted the names of nominees for …

The Proposal To Split The Ninth Circuit, Carl W. Tobias

Law Faculty Publications

Individuals and organizations concerned about natural resources should be aware of the recent controversial proposal to divide the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. During the first session of the 104th Congress in the fall of 1995, the United States Senate Judiciary Committee approved Senate Bill 956, a measure that would establish a new Twelfth Circuit consisting of Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington, and that would leave California, Hawaii, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands in the Ninth Circuit. The Judiciary Committee vote was important for two reasons: the circuit's division could substantially affect …

An Analysis Of Federal Appellate Court Study Commissions, Carl W. Tobias

Law Faculty Publications

During the 104th Congress, senators representing Pacific Northwest states mounted the fourth serious effort to split the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit since 1983. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill that would have divided the court; however, the Senate eventually passed a measure which would have created a national study commission to analyze the federal appellate system. This compromise was only one of several study proposals that Congress considered in 1995 and 1996. For example, California Governor Pete Wilson and Ninth Circuit Judge Diarmuid O'Scannlain recommended the establishment of commissions which would have assessed the …

The Proposal To Split The Ninth Circuit Court Of Appeals, Carl W. Tobias

Law Faculty Publications

Symposium introduction

Congress Considers Bill To Split Ninth Circuit, Carl W. Tobias

Law Faculty Publications

Late last year, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved a measure that would divide the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The proposal, Senate Bill 956, would create a new Twelfth Circuit comprised of Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington, leaving California, Hawaii, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands in the Ninth Circuit. The Judiciary Committee vote is significant because no bill to split the Ninth Circuit has ever received floor debate. The second session of the 104th Congress could well divide the court.