The House Judiciary Committee voted 16-5 to approve a proposal Thursday to reshape the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, the largest appeals court in the nation.

The bill, introduced this week by committee member Rep. Darrell Issa, R-California, would divide the Ninth Circuit into three regional divisions. A few lawmakers have routinely floated the idea of breaking up the Ninth Circuit, which has the heaviest caseload of U.S. appeals courts, but none have succeeded.