Ninth Circuit Poses Sticking Point for Lower Court Expansion (1)

The federal judiciary will release its latest proposal as soon as this week for creating new judgeships, and the biggest sticking point in Congress is expected to be expanding the appeals court that encompasses California.

The judiciary’s last proposal in 2019 included five seats on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit along with 65 district court judges in California and other states. Any expansion of the Ninth Circuit is unpopular among Republicans who think the 29-judge court covering nine western states and two territories is already too big and liberal-leaning.

Republicans have long advocated for dividing up ...