Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz said Thursday that he thinks there “is certainly a possibility” that the 9th Circuit could be broken up, just one day after President Trump said he “absolutely” has considered a proposal to do so.
“I think many of the Western states are weighted down by California,” Cruz said during a radio interview on KTSA.
“California has a ton of very liberal-wing judges that they put on the 9th Circuit,” he added. “I think a lot of the other western states would love to be freed from that corrosive left-wing influence.”
In an interview with the Washington Examiner, Trump posited that “there are many people that want to break up the 9th Circuit. It’s outrageous.”
Trump has already seen his travel ban stifled by the 9th Circuit, and his push to cut funding for “sanctuary cities” may end up before the court if there is an appeal, after U.S. District Judge William Orrick temporarily blocked his bid.
“Everybody immediately runs to the 9th Circuit. And we have a big country. We have lots of other locations. But they immediately run to the 9th Circuit. Because they know that’s like, semi-automatic,” Trump added.
Cruz said he could see the Judiciary Committee, of which he is a member, taking up any such proposal, adding that it is yet to be seen whether there is sufficient votes to pass any legislation.
Republican lawmakers have repeatedly introduced legislation to break up the 9th Circuit, which they view as having a liberal tilt. The court covers nine West Coast states and two U.S. territories.
