Sen. Dianne Feinstein On Why Splitting The Ninth Circuit Is A Stupid Waste Of Money

Tell 'em how you really feel, Senator.

Proponents of splitting the Ninth Circuit rely on misleading arguments and it’s important to set the record straight. These efforts have nothing to do with caseload. In fact, splitting the Ninth Circuit would be a huge waste of taxpayer dollars. The simple fact is that calls by President Trump and Senate Republicans to split the Ninth Circuit are simply a political response to decisions they don’t like.

Proposals to split the Ninth Circuit are opposed by judges appointed by presidents of both parties as well as the broader legal community and the business community, which benefits greatly from uniformity in federal law in Western states.

— Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), offering a response following a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law regarding the splitting of the Ninth Circuit. Two Ninth Circuit judges testified in favor of splitting up the circuit (Diarmuid O’Scannlain and Richard Tallman), and two testified against it (Sidney Thomas and Mary Schroeder).


Staci ZaretskyStaci Zaretsky has been an editor at Above the Law since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.

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