Judicial Conference recommends 5 additional judges for Calif. appeals court

BY LYDIA WHEELER - 03/14/17 (The Hill)

The U.S. Judicial Conference agreed Tuesday to recommend Congress add five judges to the California-based federal court of appeals.

In addition to the five judgeships the conference wants Congress to create on Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the 26-member policy-making body for the federal court system is recommending Congress create 52 Article III judgeships in the district courts, and give eight temporary district court judges full-time status.

The Judicial Conference submits judgeship recommendations to Congress every two years based on caseload and workload.

"If an omnibus judgeship bill is enacted into law, it would be first new comprehensive judgeship legislation to take effect in more than 26 years," the conference said in a release.

The recommendations come ahead of a congressional hearing Thursday to discuss the idea of splitting up the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, which currently covers California, Arizona, Alaska, Nevada, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Washington and Hawaii, as well as Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.

The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property and the Internet is holding the hearing.

Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) introduced the Judicial Administration and Improvement Act at the start of the new Congress to create a 12th Circuit Court of Appeals to cover Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana and Nevada.

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) has a companion bill in the Senate that would also pull Washington into that newly established 12th Circuit.