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H.R. 8992119th CongressIn committeeLatest action May 21, 2026Decoded by AI · checked against the record
The plain-language version leads. The official text is always the reference.
HR 8992 would transfer Supreme Court case selection to a rotating 13-judge panel drawn from federal appeals courts.
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HR 8992 would create a 13-judge rotating panel of federal appeals court judges to decide which cases the Supreme Court hears, replacing the current system in which the nine Justices make that decision themselves. One judge would be randomly selected from each of the 13 U.S. circuit courts, and no judge could serve two consecutive terms. At least four of the thirteen panel judges would need to agree before a case could be accepted, and the panel would be required to briefly explain each acceptance in writing.
Anyone who files a petition asking the Supreme Court to review their case would be affected, since the new panel rather than the Justices would make that gateway decision. The nine Supreme Court Justices would retain full authority to hear and decide every accepted case but would lose control over which cases reach their docket.
Separating the screening function from the Justices changes the institutional structure of the Supreme Court by placing an intermediate body between petitioners and the Court. Cases approved by the panel would automatically be placed on the Supreme Court's docket, removing Justices' discretion at the intake stage.
AI-drafted summary. Verify it against the official text before you act on it. Read the official bill on Congress.gov
Right now: a House committee is reviewing it. If the Senate changes it, it goes back to the House before reaching the President.
Latest action: — Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.