It is real I read the sua sponte request from one of the 9th Judges. Highly unusual, there’s a grown up buried in the 9th.
“In law, sua sponte (Latin: “of his, her, its or their own accord”) or suo motu “on its own motion” describes an act of authority taken without formal prompting from another party. The term is usually applied to actions by a judge taken without a prior motion or request from the parties.”
How were the 3 judges chosen for the panel?
link to the order
http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/general/2017/02/10/17-35105_Supplemental%20Briefing%20Order.pdf