Congress Asked to Split Ninth Circuit

STATE CAPITOL, PHOENIX Sen. Chuck Gray, R-Mesa, is responding to the longstanding outcry that the Ninth Circuit is too big, too liberal and no longer reflects the values of most Americans. Sen. Gray's bill, SCM 1005, urges Congress to split the Ninth Circuit to create a Twelfth Circuit Court that would hear Arizona court appeal cases. The Senate Judiciary Committee Monday passed the legislation. "The Ninth Circuit is the most overturned appeals court in the nation, and while its rulings may reflect the ideals of Los Angeles and Hollywood, they don't reflect the values of Arizona or the rest of Americans," said Gray. "It is completely out of sync with the size of other courts and is not very customer friendly. We can no longer allow the liberal justice of west coast states like California to affect justice in Arizona." Gray, who is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, says much has changed since the creation of the Ninth Circuit in 1891 when it contained 3 percent of the nation's population. The court now includes one-fifth of the nation's population with nine states, one territory and one commonwealth. This, the largest circuit, takes more than 15 months to decide cases and has structural flaws, among other issues. "Arizonans deserve a court that reflects the values of Arizona," said Gray. "The time to split the court is long overdue."