House Approves Splitting 9th Circuit Court of Appeals: "The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals is not only the largest of the circuit courts, it is also considered the most liberal. On Tuesday, the House passed a bill that would split the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals into three courts.

The vote to split the court passed by a 205-194 margin -- as an amendment to a larger bill (S. 878), creating additional federal court judgeships.

The Ninth Circuit currently represents 56 million people, roughly one-fifth of the nation's population; and has 48 judges to serve an area that encompasses nearly 40 percent of the geographic area of the United States, the House Judiciary Committee said in press release."  ¶ 10/22/2004 12:18:00 AM