Senate Judiciary Committe holds hearing on Ninth Circuit split

Yesterday the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on legislation to split the Ninth Circuit.  The current proposal would create new Twelfth Circuit consisting of Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Arizona, and Nevada.  California, Hawaii and the Pacific Islands would remain in the new Ninth Circuit.  The Associated Press  reports that Sen. Dianne Feinstein characterized the Justice Department's new support of the split as political, and not arising from concerns about case backlogs or inconsistent rulings. The Seattle Times quotes Ninth Circuit Judge Richard Tallman as stating that he sees more support for the split in Congress now than in the past.   See the Oregon Business Litigation blog's previous coverage of the issue here.