AZ Gov. Wants State Out Of Ninth Circuit

Citing an enormous caseload and backlog, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has lent his support to an effort to remove the state from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. The Ninth Circuit, which also includes Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Idaho and Montana, has an estimated 14,000 pending court cases, nearly three times that of the next busiest circuit. Ducey said he wants Arizona to benefit from more efficient judicial service. “The Ninth Circuit is by far the most overturned and overburdened court in the country, with a 77 percent reversal rate,” Ducey wrote recently. “Meanwhile, due to its voluminous caseload and disproportionate size, the Ninth Circuit has an abysmal turnaround time of over 15 months for an average ruling – a figure that’s only going to grow as the docket does.” Ducey and the state’s Senators are calling for legislation to restructure the Circuit.