Section 01Composition
Under 28 U.S.C. § 158(b)(1)(A), the 9th Cir. BAP is composed of bankruptcy judges drawn from districts within the Ninth Circuit. Each appeal is decided by a three-judge panel constituted ad hoc from the pool of designated members, subject to the same-district disqualification rule of 28 U.S.C. § 158(b)(5).
Scott H. Gan
William J. Lafferty III
Robert J. Faris
Frederick P. Corbit
Gary A. Spraker
Julia W. Brand
Laura S. Taylor
Christopher M. Klein
Natalie M. Cox
Section 02Constituent Districts
The 9th Cir. BAP hears appeals from the bankruptcy courts of the following districts within the Ninth Circuit. Each constituent district may, by majority vote of its district judges under 28 U.S.C. § 158(b)(6), decline to authorize BAP service for appeals from that district; counsel should verify current authorization status by district.
| District | Short cite | Court website |
|---|---|---|
| District of Alaska | D. Alaska Bankr. | https://www.akb.uscourts.gov |
| District of Arizona | D. Ariz. Bankr. | https://www.azb.uscourts.gov |
| Central District of California | C.D. Cal. Bankr. | https://www.cacb.uscourts.gov |
| Eastern District of California | E.D. Cal. Bankr. | https://www.caeb.uscourts.gov |
| Northern District of California | N.D. Cal. Bankr. | https://www.canb.uscourts.gov |
| Southern District of California | S.D. Cal. Bankr. | https://www.casb.uscourts.gov |
| District of Hawaii | D. Haw. Bankr. | https://www.hib.uscourts.gov |
| District of Idaho | D. Idaho Bankr. | https://www.id.uscourts.gov |
| District of Montana | D. Mont. Bankr. | https://www.mtb.uscourts.gov |
| District of Nevada | D. Nev. Bankr. | https://www.nvb.uscourts.gov |
| District of Oregon | D. Or. Bankr. | https://www.orb.uscourts.gov |
| Eastern District of Washington | E.D. Wash. Bankr. | https://www.waeb.uscourts.gov |
| Western District of Washington | W.D. Wash. Bankr. | https://www.wawb.uscourts.gov |
| District of Guam | D. Guam Bankr. | https://www.gud.uscourts.gov |
| District of the N. Mariana Islands | D.N.M.I. Bankr. | https://www.nmid.uscourts.gov |
Section 03How the Panel Operates
Appeals from the bankruptcy courts of the constituent districts are routed to the 9th Cir. BAP by default unless a party files a timely statement of election under Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 8005 to have the appeal heard by the district court. The election window is 30 days from service of the notice of appeal; failure to elect is treated as consent to BAP review.
Briefing follows Part VIII of the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure (FRBP 8018 schedule, FRBP 8015 word limits) as supplemented by the panel’s local rules. Oral argument is set by the panel after briefing closes; the panel may decide an appeal without argument under FRBP 8019. The panel’s decisions are reviewable on further appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit under 28 U.S.C. § 158(d)(1).