Judges warn lawmakers against splitting 9th Circuit

Three judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit warned a House Judiciary subcommittee Thursday that their jurisdiction should not be split in two.

“Circuit division would have a devastating effect on the administration of justice in the western United States,” Chief Circuit Judge Sidney Thomas said in prepared remarks to the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet. He said a split would “increase delay, reduce access to justice and waste taxpayer dollars.”