Jack Davis – Breaking up isn’t all that hard to do, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said Thursday — particularly when the breakup involves the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

The 9th Circuit covers Arizona, California, Alaska, Nevada, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Washington and Hawaii, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. Of its 25 judges, 18 were appointed by Democratic presidents.

The court has been in the headlines often in the early days of the Trump administration because its judges have blocked Trump’s executive orders on travel and immigration. His order to force sanctuary cities to cooperate with federal officials on immigration matters was rejected by a California-based district court judge, but any appeal goes to the 9th Circuit.

Cruz said breaking up the configuration of the 9th Circuit was “certainly a possibility.”

“The 9th Circuit is the largest federal court of appeals,” he said on The Jack Riccardi Show.

“I think that’s a topic I can easily see the Judiciary Committee taking up, and we’ll have to see whether we have to votes to do that or not,” he said.

Cruz said California skews the 9th Circuit to the left.

“I think many of the Western states are weighted down by California,” he said. “California has a ton of very liberal, left-wing judges that they put on the 9th Circuit. I think a lot of the other Western states would love to be freed from that corrosive left-wing influence.”

Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., has a bill pending that would break up the 9th Circuit to remove Arizona and some other states from its orbit.

“Establishing a new circuit with stronger local, regional and cultural ties will ease the burden across the West and ensure that the people of Arizona finally get the swift access to the courts they deserve,” he said in February when his bill was unveiled.

President Donald Trump vented his displeasure Wednesday with the 9th Circuit by saying he was “absolutely” considering proposals to break it up.

“There are many people that want to break up the 9th Circuit,” he said, accusing those who want a liberal ruling go “judge shopping” there. “It’s outrageous.”

“Everybody immediately runs to the 9th Circuit, because they know, that’s like, semi-automatic,” Trump said.

SF Source Western Journalism May 2017