The US Senate unanimously
passed
a bill on Thursday that adds 66 judgeships for federal district courts over a decade, starting January 21, 2025. The Senate’s approval of the
JUDGES Act
of 2024 is based on findings indicating that by the end of fiscal year 2022, US district court filings had surged by 30 percent since 1990. As of March 31, 2023, there were 686,797 pending cases in US district courts, with an average of 491 weighted case filings per judgeship annually.
The bill’s sponsor, Indiana Senator Todd Young, emphasized the need for the legislation in a
press release,
stating, “Too many Hoosiers and Americans are being denied access to our justice system due to an overload of cases and a shortage of judges.” Delaware Senator Chris Coons, a collaborator on the bill, noted that Congress has not authorized new federal judgeships for decades, leading to a significant backlog of cases, particularly in Delaware, which has only four active judgeships.
Both senators argued that the bill would improve access to the courts and lighten the workload for overburdened judges. Young pointed out that the bill strategically spreads the addition of federal judgeships over multiple presidential administrations to ensure a balanced and fair appointment process.
The bill also mandates that the Administrative Office of the US Courts publish free biennial online reports on the Judicial Conference of the US’s recommendations concerning additional judgeships. The
Judicial Conference
consists of the US Chief Justice, the chief judge of each judicial circuit, the Chief Judge of the Court of International Trade, and a district judge from each regional judicial circuit.
The bill’s next step is passage in the US House of Representatives. Senators Young and Coons have urged the House to act swiftly. It is worth noting that the last comprehensive judgeship legislation, the
Judicial Improvements Act
of 1990, added 88 judgeships.
For more detailed coverage, please refer to the
original article on JURIST.