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<bill bill-stage="Introduced-in-House" dms-id="H4E91C20264F242F29CF850B011DF2DEE" public-private="public" key="H" bill-type="olc"><metadata xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">
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<dc:title>119 HR 4124 IH: Restoring Judicial Separation of Powers Act</dc:title>
<dc:publisher>U.S. House of Representatives</dc:publisher>
<dc:date>2025-06-25</dc:date>
<dc:format>text/xml</dc:format>
<dc:language>EN</dc:language>
<dc:rights>Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.</dc:rights>
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<distribution-code display="yes">I</distribution-code><congress display="yes">119th CONGRESS</congress><session display="yes">1st Session</session><legis-num display="yes">H. R. 4124</legis-num><current-chamber>IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES</current-chamber><action display="yes"><action-date date="20250625">June 25, 2025</action-date><action-desc><sponsor name-id="C001117">Mr. Casten</sponsor> introduced the following bill; which was referred to the <committee-name committee-id="HJU00">Committee on the Judiciary</committee-name></action-desc></action><legis-type>A BILL</legis-type><official-title display="yes">To reform the Supreme Court of the United States, and for other purposes.</official-title></form><legis-body id="HCD3E2A2E7A36474187047B5F4112D32E" style="OLC"> 
<section id="H9DA7B627BF29476B9A6D1148BEA576B9" section-type="section-one"><enum>1.</enum><header>Short title</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">This Act may be cited as the <quote><short-title>Restoring Judicial Separation of Powers Act</short-title></quote>.</text></section> <title id="H7FE6BFCBD9B542199714EF8C3663F0FD"><enum>I</enum><header>Organization of courts</header> <section id="H27080C29AA31456EA28A90DAA0FAF7C7"><enum>101.</enum><header>Direct appeals</header> <subsection id="HB89A26A5C7184200A21BEDBC31108F2D"><enum>(a)</enum><header>In general</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Section 1253 of title 28, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:</text>
<quoted-block style="USC" id="H17D9438AAF7F4D17B467B277E968375F" display-inline="no-display-inline">
<section id="H9872CC6A8F6F4D2EA520A8CACD2DAF16"><enum>1253.</enum><header>Direct appeals from decisions of three-judge courts</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">Except as otherwise provided by law, any party may appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit from an order granting or denying, after notice and hearing, an interlocutory or permanent injunction in any civil action, suit or proceeding required by any Act of Congress to be heard and determined by a district court of three judges.</text></section><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></subsection></section> <section id="HA7C792394B2847A28D3DDA4495855E12"><enum>102.</enum><header>Courts of appeals review</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">Section 1254 of title 28, United States Code, is amended to read as follows:</text>
<quoted-block style="USC" id="H3B01516E870A4D468C7ACC709E1B48EE" display-inline="no-display-inline">
<section id="H9BD904D5944542CFB3F4AB50546A5753"><enum>1254.</enum><header>Courts of appeals; certiorari; certified questions</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">Cases in the courts of appeals may be reviewed by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit by the following methods:</text> <paragraph id="H02DFC4CAAB874238ACE3F5824F39B05B"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">By writ of certiorari granted upon the petition of any party to any civil or criminal case, before or after rendition of judgment or decree.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="HC1FCD88820F44BE2ADA24090922035E9"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">By certification at any time by a court of appeals of any question of law in any civil or criminal case as to which instructions are desired, and upon such certification the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit may give binding instructions or require the entire record to be sent up for decision of the entire matter in controversy.</text></paragraph></section><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></section> <section id="H0E1BCB38F7A04E789E30DE64690E5032"><enum>103.</enum><header>Final decisions of district courts</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">Section 1291 of title 28, United States Code, is amended by striking <quote>in the Supreme Court</quote> and inserting <quote>in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit</quote>.</text></section>
<section id="H3AD96FC4FC5A45859BC7625BB305FFB3"><enum>104.</enum><header>Jurisdiction for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit</header>
<subsection id="H12AF8A2DB92D4223A130BF7C94C729C9"><enum>(a)</enum><header>In general</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline"><external-xref legal-doc="usc-chapter" parsable-cite="usc-chapter/28/83">Chapter 83</external-xref> of title 28, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:</text> <quoted-block style="USC" id="H6CF2702766914A878B581C1309F8F873" display-inline="no-display-inline"> <section id="H751DFE236C82473FB0278561CD2105DF"><enum>1297.</enum><header>Multi-circuit panel of United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit</header> <subsection id="HAA8FF67EC7E5495890128724236C71CC"> <enum>(a)</enum> <header>Convening multi-Circuit panel</header> <text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Each year the chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit shall convene a multi-circuit panel of 13 judges consisting of each of the following:</text>
                <paragraph id="HA9356164EBCD40AA9C89B9FE7454FB01">
                  <enum>(1)</enum>
                  <header>Associate judges</header>
 <text>The multi-circuit panel shall consist of 1 judge to be randomly selected from each of the following circuit courts of appeals:</text>
                  <subparagraph id="H79FAF6C6B2CF4F228A298364223E073B">
                    <enum>(A)</enum>
 <text display-inline="yes-display-inline">United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.</text>
                  </subparagraph>
                  <subparagraph id="HF642BA5EDFCE4A09BC5A0BD9EBE4255A">
                    <enum>(B)</enum>
 <text display-inline="yes-display-inline">United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.</text>
                  </subparagraph>
                  <subparagraph id="HD07A75FE537B425FA85A3AFA80EFEDFC">
                    <enum>(C)</enum>
 <text display-inline="yes-display-inline">United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.</text>
                  </subparagraph>
                  <subparagraph id="H895C9E882C404DAA8D23165336E2C8E7">
                    <enum>(D)</enum>
 <text>United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.</text> </subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H45A60EA81C7B41E3A4D433D30025BA69"> <enum>(E)</enum> <text>United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.</text>
                  </subparagraph>
                  <subparagraph id="HAD792B10BC46430B886BA4B5EA765DFE">
                    <enum>(F)</enum>
 <text>United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.</text> </subparagraph> <subparagraph id="HBA7D27C138D645D29A57E40CCAFEF5BD"> <enum>(G)</enum> <text>United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.</text>
                  </subparagraph>
                  <subparagraph id="HED8A75C25AA646F094BB77B6B9B98A9B">
                    <enum>(H)</enum>
 <text>United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.</text> </subparagraph> <subparagraph id="HFF916F0BB1A94862BD55A7EEA0F97767"> <enum>(I)</enum> <text>United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.</text>
                  </subparagraph>
                  <subparagraph id="HA5647A5A70FB4DF480759CF98F6606AD">
                    <enum>(J)</enum>
 <text>United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.</text> </subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H80742A7B13624E47B1AC6EA1C467EC91"> <enum>(K)</enum> <text>United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.</text>
                  </subparagraph>
                  <subparagraph id="H51D289DDDF0B48A287778ED4B38A92FA">
                    <enum>(L)</enum>
 <text>United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.</text> </subparagraph> </paragraph> <paragraph id="H8DD6A3BC46D148FB861405025AF72ABC"> <enum>(2)</enum> <header>Chief judge</header> <text>The multi-circuit panel shall consist of 1 chief judge to be randomly selected from the circuit courts of appeals described in paragraph (1).</text>
                </paragraph>
              </subsection>
<subsection id="H0475535C25354C51897BAD197DE84B30"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Jurisdiction</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The chief judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit shall assign to the multi-circuit panel any case in which the United States or a Federal agency is a party, or a case concerning constitutional interpretation, statutory interpretation of Federal law, or the function or actions of an executive order.</text></subsection> <subsection id="H6D3AE87AB4B4432FB0832333022F61BD"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Duration of service</header><text>Each judge of the multi-circuit panel shall serve on the panel during the period beginning at 10 a.m. (Eastern Time Zone) on the first Monday in October and ending at 9:59 a.m. (Eastern Time Zone) on the first Monday in October of the following year.</text></subsection>
<subsection id="HBEE4B5E9707142E08B1B432FA5A0A021"><enum>(d)</enum><header>Acts of Congress</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">A supermajority of not less than 70 percent of judges of the multi-circuit panel described in subsection (a) shall be required to affirm any decision which holds that any Act of Congress is, in whole or in part, unconstitutional, unlawful, or otherwise invalid.</text></subsection></section><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></subsection> <subsection id="HBC333EF6034346AFA949E0DAAFF72225"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Clerical amendment</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The table of sections for <external-xref legal-doc="usc-chapter" parsable-cite="usc-chapter/28/83">chapter 83</external-xref> of title 28, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating to <external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/28/1296">section 1296</external-xref> the following:</text>
<quoted-block style="USC" id="HFFC6941E6FC944D984B6D3BB3984CF99" display-inline="no-display-inline">
<toc regeneration="no-regeneration">
<toc-entry level="section">1297. Multi-circuit panel of United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.</toc-entry></toc><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></subsection></section>
<section id="HDB26860710CE40549F6A40F3F2007DE8"><enum>105.</enum><header>Effective date</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">This title, and the amendments made by this title, shall apply in October of the year following the date of enactment of this Act.</text></section></title> <title id="H99A659374548437EB87AB734A1DA2EB9"><enum>II</enum><header>Injunctions and court dockets</header> <section id="H9A8CC2D68F1D4F89BF7284A70EC69275"><enum>201.</enum><header>Anti-Nationwide Injunction</header> <subsection id="HCF707A5EF54B488E93BBFEFD9B9E70B4"><enum>(a)</enum><header>In general</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline"><external-xref legal-doc="usc-chapter" parsable-cite="usc-chapter/28/155">Chapter 155</external-xref> of title 28, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following:</text>
<quoted-block style="USC" id="H8067D6E844654241A7A8CB3016A1D5D8" display-inline="no-display-inline">
<section id="HCF420CEC62814521BC567705AD2CDB4F"><enum>2285.</enum><header>Nationwide injunction</header>
<subsection id="HADEC6D123C604B5BA11CDD3F80449710"><enum>(a)</enum><header>In general</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Whenever any action before a court of the United States seeks injunctive relief restraining the enforcement of any Federal statute, regulation, or order against a nonparty, the court shall, upon a motion of a party to the action made not later than 30 days after an initial filing requesting such relief, transfer such action to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.</text></subsection> <subsection id="HAA167C15F1244959B1B270E059D3F3E2"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Consolidation</header><text>The Court shall have the power to consolidate several cases concerning the same matter into a single case under Rule 42 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.</text></subsection></section><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></subsection>
<subsection id="HA6DA88465B4A4EF58A3A2CB90387F254"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Clerical amendment</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The table of sections for <external-xref legal-doc="usc-chapter" parsable-cite="usc-chapter/28/155">chapter 155</external-xref> of title 28, United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item relating to <external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/28/2284">section 2284</external-xref> the following:</text> <quoted-block style="USC" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H8E6B55B390324BC6A665ACCCC8A2DEE8"> <toc regeneration="no-regeneration"> <toc-entry level="section">2285. Nationwide injunction.</toc-entry></toc><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></subsection></section> <section id="HF3F349F548274343B26111313CB42226"><enum>202.</enum><header>Shadow docket limitation; application to United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit</header> <subsection id="HFA0F2F2DD33D4D1DA1854A1E9D9EC8F6"><enum>(a)</enum><header>In general</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Section 2101 of title 28, United States Code, is amended—</text>
<paragraph id="H598626ECAA704852A86841B10F768FAC"><enum>(1)</enum><text>in the section heading, by striking <quote><header-in-text level="section" style="USC">Supreme Court; time for appeal</header-in-text></quote> and inserting <quote><header-in-text level="section" style="USC">Time for appeal</header-in-text></quote>;</text></paragraph> <paragraph id="HCCB5FFC5B01D4F34A9882EA5BCDBD4A9"><enum>(2)</enum><text>in subsection (a), by inserting <quote>, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, or a multi-circuit panel described in section 1297</quote> after <quote>Supreme Court</quote> the first place it appears;</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H87B71F7D2E52442A852DAF1A8059692E"><enum>(3)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">in subsection (b), by inserting <quote>, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, or a multi-circuit panel described in section 1297</quote> after <quote>Supreme Court</quote>;</text></paragraph> <paragraph id="HFB1BC927DAB34CF0B17FA42F44EB7135"><enum>(4)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">in subsection (c)—</text>
<subparagraph id="H017154310D864EE1A2C750A903190D5A"><enum>(A)</enum><text>by inserting <quote>, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, or a multi-circuit panel described in section 1297</quote> after <quote>Supreme Court</quote> the first place it appears; and</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H12F7F1F640264396813F1BB94B6331B2"><enum>(B)</enum><text>by striking <quote>A justice of the Supreme Court</quote> and inserting <quote>A justice or judge of the relevant court</quote>;</text></subparagraph></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H05A8E664C4994B3DAB45007936B7B37C"><enum>(5)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">in subsection (e), by inserting <quote>, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, or a multi-circuit panel described in section 1297</quote> after <quote>Supreme Court</quote>;</text></paragraph> <paragraph id="HFBB5E41BD13741E8BF834292BCAB3DBD"><enum>(6)</enum><text>in subsection (f)—</text>
<subparagraph id="H597D19E8907B427E98610EF707D75C22"><enum>(A)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">by inserting <quote>, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, or a multi-circuit panel described in section 1297</quote> after <quote>review by the Supreme Court</quote>;</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H0CA942E2EFF74D0580B6DBF660D8E651"> <enum>(B)</enum> <text>by striking <quote>from the Supreme Court</quote> and inserting <quote>from the court</quote>; and</text>
                        </subparagraph>
<subparagraph id="HFFC87B2FED9844CD97A0DE7C131A6CCF"><enum>(C)</enum><text>by striking <quote>in the Supreme Court</quote> and inserting <quote>in the court</quote>; and</text></subparagraph></paragraph> <paragraph id="H23A4B91A640141D2BEBB860D641CD820"><enum>(7)</enum><text>by adding at the end the following:</text>
<quoted-block style="USC" id="HAEAFB151FCFE4CF59619A32640650C05" display-inline="no-display-inline">
<subsection id="HD60C8587091F4CB2AAC87875315AC73B"><enum>(h)</enum><text>No order reversing a decision of a court on appeals before the Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, or a multi-circuit panel described in section 1297, shall issue unless such court provides to the parties a written explanation supporting such reversal, which shall be published on the website of such court.</text></subsection><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></paragraph></subsection> <subsection id="H84F349131450471F970BA8267820E945"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Clerical amendment</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The table of sections for <external-xref legal-doc="usc-chapter" parsable-cite="usc-chapter/28/133">chapter 133</external-xref> of title 28, United States Code, is amended by striking the item related to section 2101 and inserting the following:</text>
<quoted-block style="USC" id="H4FFB7699EB524C2583CCBE9FB23C6FAF" display-inline="no-display-inline">
<toc regeneration="no-regeneration">
<toc-entry level="section">2101. Time for appeal of certiorari; docketing; stay.</toc-entry></toc><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block></subsection></section>
<section id="H24E5B48DF09D43BA8AF1E096C5B776C7"><enum>203.</enum><header>Effective date</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">This title, and the amendments made by this title, shall take effect on the date of enactment of this Act.</text></section></title> </legis-body></bill>

