What kind of problems might have prompted congress to create an entirely new type of appellate court in 1982

Inefficiency, an appellate court or court of appeal is a court of law that has jurisdiction to hear appeals lodged against judicial decisions of a lower court. Likewise, the appeal is a means of challenge through which it is sought that a higher court amend the resolution of the inferior according to law the judicial systems are structured in two instances: a first instance assigned to lower or basic courts (courts of first instance), which hear and resolve cases, and a second corresponding to higher courts, responsible for hearing appeals against judgments of the former, in order to amend according to law.

“i think it is very plausible that if there are five votes to end the death penalty, it could be with the people who are on the court right now,” - smith

so basically it is not clearly and consistently imposed