Washington, D.C. – On January 4, 2017, Congressman Andy Biggs (AZ-05) introduced H.R. 250 – the Judicial Administration and Improvement Act. H.R. 250 creates a new, Twelfth Circuit Court of Appeals. In doing so, Arizona, along with Alaska, Idaho, Montana, and Nevada, would be removed from the Ninth Federal Circuit Court and into the Twelfth. Congressman Biggs issued the following statement:
“H.R. 250 builds on the leadership of Governor Doug Ducey, Senator Jeff Flake, former Senator Jon Kyl, and former Congressman Matt Salmon, to free Arizona from the burdensome and undue influence of the 9th Circuit Court. These individuals have done fine work to move this legislation forward.
“As a promise to my constituents last year, I introduced this bill to protect Arizona from a federal circuit court that does not reflect the values nor laws of our state. The Ninth Circuit cannot handle the number of states currently entrapped within its jurisdiction, causing access to justice to be delayed. Worse still, the Ninth Circuit has the highest reversal rate in the country, topping 75 percent. There is tremendous support for this legislation, and I will work to ensure its passage.”
In the 114th Congress, Congressman Matt Salmon introduced this bill in the House of Representatives along with a companion bill in the Senate, sponsored by Senator Jeff Flake.
