One third of this term’s U. S. Supreme Court docket is comprised of cases from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, according to an article on the How Appealing blog. The Ninth Circuit’s caseload, however, constitutes only 20% of the total heard by federal circuit courts. Why the disparity? Experts speculate that one reason may be that losing lawyers in that circuit are more likely to appeal because they know that the circuit is seen as the one most out of sync with the high court. In the 2009-2010 term, for example, the circuit was reversed or vacated 12 times and affirmed only 4 times.
The most high-profile Ninth Circuit case on the docket this term is Schwarzenegger v. Video Software Dealers Association, which involves the constitutionality of a California law restricting the sale of violent video games to minors.
For more, go to the full article.
